#Slowdive S/T LP

[thejoyofviolentmovement]

New Video: Slowdive Shares Breathtakingly Gorgeous "kisses"

New Video: Slowdive Shares Breathtakingly Gorgeous "kisses" @slowdiveband @neilhalstead @RachelAGoswell @DeadOceans @pitchperfectpr

Deriving their name from a dream that that their co-founder Neil Halstead (vocals, guitar) had once had, and “Slowdive,” a single written and recorded by co-founder Rachel Goswell’s (vocals, guitars) favorite band, Siouxsie and the Banshees, the Reading, Berkshire, UK-based shoegazer band Slowdive, which is currently comprised of its co-founders Halstead and Goswell, along with Nick Chaplin…

[uclaradio]

UCLA Radio’s Best of 2017 - Music and Genre Directors

This year, UCLA Radio’s music director and genre directors compiled a list of their favorite releases this past year. Take a peek and explore some of our favorite albums of this past year. 

Alison Chi - Music Director

1. SZA - Ctrl

I don’t know a single person who doesn’t like SZA’s sophomore album Ctrl. There are so few albums that can capture people’s attention these days - it’s all about the singles and never the album as a whole but something about Ctrl is cohesive from start to finish. The way each song weaves into each other is seamless and you’ll truly be rewarded if you sit down and listen to the album straight through. Is there even a single bad song on this album? 

2. Giraffage - Too Real 3. Slowdive - Slowdive 4. Turnover - Good Nature 5. Land of Talk - Life After Youth 6. Cigarettes After Sex - Cigarettes After Sex 7. Julien Baker - Turn Out the Lights 8. Valerie June - The Order of Time 9. Slow Dancer - In A Mood 10. Mount Eerie - A Crow Looked at Me

Megan Hullander - Rock Genre Director

1. King Gizzard & The Flying Wizard - Flying Microtonal Banana

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard’s Flying Microtonal Banana was the first in a series of five albums promised to be released in 2017 (one of which has still yet to come) including a concept album ridden with the drama of human and non-human emotions, a jazzy collaboration with Mild High Club, and an album given as a gift to fans - the rights of which are “owned” by all. Flying Microtonal Banana is unique in that the band customized their instruments in effort to find spaces between existing tones, or “microtones.” The album is named for one of these instruments which does, in fact, look quite similar to a banana. 

2. Thee Oh Sees - Orc 3. The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Open Minds Now Close 4. Alex Cameron - Forced Witness 5. Ron Gallo - Temporary Slave 6. Ariel Pink - Dedicated to Bobby Jameson 7. Ty Segall - Sentimental Goblin 8. ORB - Naturality 9. Kikagaku Moyo - Stone Garden 10. Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile - Lotta Sea Lice

Gabe Cortina - Rock Genre Director

1. Limp Wrist - Facades

Featuring Martin from Los Crudos on vocals as well as members of Hail Mary, Devoid of Faith, By the Throat, and Kill the Man Who Questions, the versatility of Limp Wrist sound has never been more apparent. Identifying as queercore, the band has a fast hardcore sound and lyrical themes concerning gay identity politics. The mixing of album is something which also stood out to me, it’s able to polished without sounding over produced. Martin’s vocal style perfectly matches the killer riffs and speedy drums in both intensity and aggression. Halfway through this album, the band’s sound switches to a disco-ey almost dark-wave- techno sound which they pull of with perfection. This album is solid and I highly recommend it to both longtime fans of punk and people who are looking for an introduction to punk music alike.

2. Despise You / Coke Bust - Split LP 3. Gay Kiss - Rounded Down 4. Exit Unit - St 2017 5. Glue - S/T MLP 6. Lumpy and the Dumpers - Those Pickled Fuckers 7. Goolagoon / ACxDC - Split 8. Burnout - West Coast Tour 2017 CS 9. Sex Prisoner / Harm Done - Split 10. Meth Leppard - Discography 2015-2017

Gabe Punk Genre Director Top 10 Albums of 2017 from anon-10212970514769336 on 8tracks Radio

Alana Enriquez - Pop Genre Director

1. Beach House - B-Sides and Rarities

This compilation happened to be release on a day where I had only gotten around an hour of sleep the night before, and I cried within one minute of the first track. It’s Beach House at their most dreamy, their most blaring, their most haunting. Old tracks with new renditions and fresh ones meld into something spellbinding that doesn’t require the logistical unity of a formal album. B-Sides and Rarities has been on a weekly rotation for me for the entire second half of 2017, and probably for the entirety of 2018, unless they release something else for me to cry to during my morning routine. 

2. Florist - If Blue Could Be Happiness 3. High Bloom - Implied Sun 4. Alvvays - Antisocialites 5. The Drums - Abysmal Thoughts 6. Slowdive - Slowdive 7. Steve Lacy - Steve Lacy’s Demo 8. You’ll Never Get to Heaven - Images 9. Pedro Infante - Cien años... pensando en ti 10. Big Thief - Capacity

Alana Myers - Pop Genre Director

1. Wolf Alice - Visions Of A Life

Looking back at this past September, I remember sitting in my apartment late at night, counting down until midnight when Wolf Alice’s second record Visions of a Life would be released. I haven’t ever heard anything quite like Visions of a Life before, and I think the reason it resonates so much with me is the way it perfectly encompasses the feelings that come with the uncertainty of young adulthood, and the feelings of life in general - love, anger, sadness, extreme joy, and everything in between. The album digs itself into darkness, but at its core, lies a piece of work that is ambitious, honest, and a solid listen from start to finish.

2. MUNA - About U 3. Tei Shi - Crawl Space 4. Declan McKenna - What Do You Think About the Car? 5. Stormzy - Gang Signs & Prayer 6. Will Joseph Cook - Sweet Dreamer 7. HAIM - Something to Tell You 8. Lorde - Melodrama 9. Paramore - After Laughter 10. Circa Waves - Different Creatures

Alex Saakyan - Pop Genre Director

1. Lana Del Rey - Lust For Life

With an album cover that graces a smile, cheek to cheek of Lana Del Rey, it is no surprise as to why this record has been nicknamed as Del Rey’s first ‘happy album.’ Retiring from the ‘sad girl’ aesthetic of her previous records, Del Rey delivers an optimistic and authentic approach to her music. With tracks like ‘When the World Was at War’ and ‘God Bless America’ we see Del Rey take a more honest approach from her Americana aesthetic as she speaks of the hard times people in this country face. With tracks like ‘Get Free’ she delivers her mission statement: “Finally, I’m crossing the threshold/From the ordinary world/To the reveal of my heart,” She’s honest, she’s free, with a much optimism and a lust for life. 

2. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN. 3. Lorde - Melodrama 4. Kelela - Take Me Apart 5. Majid Jordan - The Space Between 6. Harry Styles - Harry Styles 7. Calvin Harris - Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 8. Tyler, the Creator - Flower Boy 9. Dua Lipa - Blow Your Mind 10. Kesha - Rainbow

Christian Wright - World Genre Director

1. Jay Som - Everybody Works

Melina Duterte’s sophomore album is a bedroom production jewel. Every song, incredibly cohesive as a whole, traverses the beautifully lush sonic worlds her mind seemingly conjures up. That’s not to say the ten tracks that span Everybody Works are simple happenstances that fall together nicely; they definitely sound like labors of love. Rather her voice, certain of itself, transmits to the listener so powerfully, making sense out of all the disorder that comes with self-doubt and personal struggle. “Won’t forget to climb,” she sings on E.W’s. final track, “For Light,” beautifully steering the qualms of trying to make it in this world.

2. Nikolas Escudero - Synthesis 3. Haley Heynderickx - Unpeeled (Live) 4. Fleet Foxes - Crack-Up 5. Bedouine - Beduoine 6. Japanese Breakfast - Soft Sounds from Another Planet 7. Lomelda - Thx 8. Hand Habits - Wildly Idle (Humble Before the void) 9. Kevin Morby - City Music 10. Wednesday Campanella - Superman

Ethan Lee - Jazz Genre Director

1. Nick Hakim - Green Twins

Nick Hakim blurs the line between psychedelic, soul, funk, rock, and jazz with his debut album, Green Twins. With lush melodies to command his songs and a spacey approach to recording production, Hakim creates his own unique sound and challenges the notions and implications of a music genre.  With a brand of sound that emulates Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Hakim's soundscape fills in colorful textures with his diverse instrumentation on top of steady, pulse-like rhythms.  From spacey, reflective post-R&B rock songs like "Bet She Looks Like You" to jazzy, rhythmic pulses in "Miss Chew" and slow, soulful ballads like "Needy Bees," Green Twins has just about everything you need in a debut album from an artist as complex as Nick Hakim.

2. Tyler the Creator - Flower Boy 3. Kamasi Washington - Harmony of Difference 4. Rex Orange County - Apricot Princess 5. Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah - Diaspora 6. Moses Sumney - Aromanticism 7. Steve Lacy - Steve Lacy’s Demo 8. Brockhampton - Saturation II 9. Smino - blkswn 10. Antonio Sanchez - Bad Hombre

Mark Edmonds - Electronic Genre Director

1. Moon Boots - First Landing

First Landing is Moon Boots' debut album. Moon Boots manages a deep overtone with techy-melodies. 'Never Get to You' is a standout track that will light up any dance floor or pool party. 

2. Rezz - Mass Manipulation 3. Oliver - Full Circle 4. Various Artists - Anjunadeep Vol. 9 5. Illenium - Awake 6. Giraffage - Too Real 7. Four Tet - New Energy 8. Odesza - A Moment Apart 9. Cosmic Gate - Materia Chapter.Two 10. Bicep - Bicep

Beliz Urkmez - Electronic Genre Director

1. Lorde - Melodrama

For me, Lorde's music means emotion in its purest, most honest form. Her sophomore album, Melodrama, captures her youth, her growth, her path to becoming a woman of her own and loving herself and all the ephemeral experiences in between. Mastering her craft, Lorde finds a cohesion between her atmospheric synths, harmonies, beats and the bittersweet wisdom in her lyrics. Especially in "Liability," a beautiful piano-ballad where she sings, "I understand, I'm a liability/ Get you wild, make you leave/ I'm a little much for everyone." Lorde is truly one of a kind and Melodrama proves she is one of the best artists today.

2. Gorillaz - Humanz 3. London Grammar - Truth Is a Beautiful Thing 4. HAIM - Something to Tell You 5. Alexandra Savior - Belladonna of Sadness 6. Temples - Volcano 7. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds - Who Built the Moon? 8. Wolf Alice - Visions of a Life 9. Cigarettes After Sex - Cigarettes After Sex 10. Mura Masa - Mura Masa

Alex Ivanova - Folk/Singer-Songwriter Genre Director

1. Kiran Leonard - Derevaun Seraun

This is probably the most sonically beautiful album I’ve listened to in years. 22-year-old Kiran Leonard blends voice, piano, and string trio into an album with each movement representing a different piece of literature, seeing as the album was written to celebrate the re-opening of Manchester’s Central Library. The album is intensely personal, and raw, as Leonard’s voice is in the spotlight, accompanied by mournful accompaniment. I recommend this album endlessly.

2. The Spirit of the Beehive - pleasure suck 3. Jay Som - Everybody Works 4. Joan of Arc - He’s Got the Whole This Land Is Your Land in His Hands 5. Kindling - Hush 6. Синекдоха Монток - MMXVII (Parts 1 & 2) 7. Phoebe Bridgers - Stranger in the Alps 8. Sidney Gish - Ed Buys Houses 9. Tagubu & Klimperei - I Don't Remember The First Time  10. Nnamdi Ogbonnaya - DROOL

[bolachasgratis]

NOS Primavera Sound 2019: printable timetables, our preview and playlist

It doesn’t matter how conservative or liberal you are: people are naturally resistant to change, especially if the previous form of what’s changing was so dear to them. We get it: “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Judging by the tone and content of most comments we can find online about this year’s Primavera lineup, both in Porto and Barcelona, folks ain’t happy about “the new normal”. Yes, some of the biggest pop artists in the planet have claimed most of the spots with the big font in it. Yes, there’s a shortage of loud, extreme music we often found at the long gone ATP stage, and every year there are less and less historical, cult indie rock bands reforming for a Primavera performance. But, other than that - tiny specks on a lineup of over 120 bands in Barcelona and over 60 in Porto - has it really changed that much? Is the Primavera DNA gone? (Was there really a “Primavera DNA” to begin with?)

We don’t think so. In this year's preview of NOS Primavera Sound, we’re looking back on our ten years of going to Primavera festivals (since our debut in Barcelona 2009, we only missed it in 2011). We identify five pillars of what we think makes a typical Primavera lineup - and reflect on what’s new and what’s missing. In the end, we can say we’re actually more excited for this years’ edition than we’ve been in the past three or four years. 

Our preview playlist (which you can find below) features 33 artists, and we tried our best not to include the very obvious ones. 

Download the timetables (always subject to change): Regular PDF / Mobile PDF / Customisable Excel file

The historical indie rock bunch (and a couple of reunions) 

This lineup has got Built to Spill performing “Keep it Like a Secret” (Thursday, 19:50). It’s automatically good just for that reason, even if it was a late addition after a cancellation. It’s got the first ever Guided by Voices performance in the Iberian Peninsula (Saturday, 20:45) and a rare appearance by cult hero Liz Phair (Friday, 22:00). It’s got Low still fresh out of their most lauded album release of the past fourteen years (Saturday, 23:20). What about reunions? We get it, everyone expects so much of a festival where bands like My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive or Pavement have first performed after long periods of retirement. Stereolab (Thursday, 23:20) were one of the most inventive, genre-defining and influential bands of the 90s and return to the stage after a ten year hiatus, and the Basque band Lisabö (Friday, 19:15), who has released in 2018 their first album in eight years, was once one of the most powerful post-rock/hardcore bands in Europe. And, you know... the real reason why we never, ever miss a single NOS Primavera Sound edition is the fact that it’s the most likely place in Europe to be able to witness a rare sighting of the best live band in rock music. Let’s all raise a toast to Shellac (Friday, 21:00). If they weren’t in the lineup, yes, we would think Primavera is gone. But, as long as Albini, Trainer and Weston are with us, can we really say the festival is not what it used to be?

Up-and-coming indie singer-songwriters 

Some of them we’ve seen and talked extensively before on our NOS Primavera Sound and Vodafone Paredes de Coura previews. Courtney Barnett (Friday, 19:50) played for a half-empty tent before we all hit the jackpot with her debut LP and was one of our biggest highlights of that year. Lucy Dacus (Saturday, 18:50) and Big Thief (Saturday, 19:15) played two of our favorite shows at last year’s Vodafone Paredes de Coura. They’re both competing for our attention this year, along with Tomberlin (Saturday, 19:00), who is also playing in the same time slot and appeals to the same fanbase, which makes us a bit sad to miss the others. Even if we think this was a scheduling mistake, it’s still an indicator of how good this lineup is. And you’ve still got Snail Mail (Saturday, 20:30), hopefully with a full band, when you’re done with the gig of your choice. Just before Barnett on Friday we’ve got two songwriters who released two of the most exciting albums of 2019 so far. We have missed Aldous Harding (Friday, 17:45) every time we had the chance to see her (either due to cancellations or her being placed in tiny venues in festivals) and we’ll try not to fuck it up this time around. We'll probably skip Nilüfer Yanya (Friday, 18:50) since we’ve seen her play with her band in a tiny anarchist venue less than a month ago, but you shouldn’t. And, if you don’t care about Jarvis Cocker (sacrilege) don’t miss the only male songwriter in this list: the Canadian songwriter MorMor (Thursday, 21:25) has released a superb EP earlier this month.

Unique, experimental-ish contemporary artists

There’s always space on a Primavera lineup for some of the best performers we’ve been seeing in the past few years that don’t really fit in any big boxes. Synth-heavy Let’s Eat Grandma (Thursday, 23:45) is not only the best band name in the lineup, it’s one of the most exciting new acts coming out of England in the past few years. Spoken word queen Kate Tempest (Saturday, 22:30) is debuting her new album ahead of its release later in June and shall compete for your attention with Tirzah (Saturday, 22:00) and Rosalía (Saturday, 22:10), the hottest artist out of Spain in God knows how long. Later on, Swedish singer-songwriter Neneh Cherry (Saturday, 23:30) presents her much lauded recent LP Broken Politics. Experimental rock outfit Jambinai **(Friday, 18:00) are known for using traditional folk Korean instruments to produce some of the sharpest sounding post-rock these days, while Shabaka Hutchings brings four drummers to his Sons of Kemet XL** (Friday, 20:20) jazztravaganza.

Nobody’s taking your guitars away

Playing a bit softer or harder, we’ve already listed tons of guitar music above. Yes, there’s less heavy music than a few years ago, but was that really ever a defining quality of a Primavera lineup? Still, besides all the indie rock bands we mentioned before there are a few more options for guitar-heavy partying, from returning experimental-ish hardcore behemoths Fucked Up (Friday, 22:15) to upcoming Aussie punk rockers Amyl and the Sniffers (Saturday, 21:00). Although very different from each other, Hop Along (Saturday, 17:45) and Viagra Boys (Saturday, 18:00) will compete for your attention in the beginning of the last day of the festival.

The indie/alternative big guns

You wouldn’t set up a 30,000 capacity festival where the headliners are six indie singer-songwriters with two records under their belt since 2016, right? We know we wouldn’t even though that’s basically half of what we listen to. Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker is back with his new project JARV IS (Thursday, 21:00), which is apparently “primarily a live experience”, mostly limited to festivals. We don’t know what to expect and we don’t want to read about it beforehand. Can we still be surprised sometimes, is that too much to ask? It’s been over a decade since we last were excited about anything related to Interpol **(Friday, 23:45), but reports from Barcelona and All Points East tell us at least 2/3 of the setlist is composed of Antics and Turn On the Bright Lights songs, so there’s that. Later that night, **James Blake (Friday, 01:00) is back with a new album that we didn’t care to listen to, but we thought his past two concerts we saw in festivals were way more interesting than his records, so we’ll probably give him a shot. On Saturday we witness a rare European show by Jorge Ben Jor (Saturday 19:50), the MPB giant who rarely performs outside Brazil, before the neo soul queen Erykah Badu (Saturday, 00:30) takes the stage as the closing big act of the festival.

The new normal

Yes, something changed at NOS Primavera Sound over the past couple of years. But did it change for worse? This was a festival that, despite running until the early hours of the morning, lacked an electronic dance music programme that was as consistent as its daylight and prime-time programme. This has changed last year with the introduction of new stage Bits, and has considerably improved this years when it comes to DJs. Yaeji (Thursday, 03:00) has released some of the most non-obvious house hits since 2017. Together with Peggy Gou **(Thursday, 01:30), **Helena Hauff (Friday, 04:30), SOPHIE (Friday, 02:30) and JASSS (Friday, 00:00), the Korean-American producer and DJ is the flagbearer of an experimental, female-fronted, fresh sounding clubbing scene that not so long ago was pretty much nonexistent in Primavera. Producer Yves Tumor (Saturday, 01:00) brings another side of the same scene with his full band; Modeselektor (Saturday, 23:45) are hardly newcomers and have performed in countless editions of Primavera, both as Modeselektor and Moderat. 

But maybe that’s not the addition of a good clubbing programme with a stage dedicated to clubbers that’s really bothering a seemingly substantial part of Primavera’s typical festival goers. Maybe it’s the fact that most of the big slots in the lineup - even though those represent only 10% of the festival’s lineup - are occupied by big, guitarless, not-really-indie acts. But can we really rule them out and say they’re not “Primavera artists” based on their (lack of) artistic merit? Of course not. It’s been seven years since Solange (Thursday, 00:30) has released “Losing You” and stopped being referred to as simply “Beyoncé’s younger sister”; we are yet to find a bad review for her latest two albums. Hip-hop ends up being underrepresented this year, compared to past editions, with the likes of Danny Brown (22:20), Tommy Cash (23:25) and Allen Halloween (22:15) all competing for your attention Thursday night, and newcomer ProfJam (Friday, 17:00) getting an extra early slot the next day. But what’s really grinding people’s gears is the presence of one of the most important artists in the world today. Colombian J Balvin (Friday, 22:15) is one of the most important regaetón singers today, and, through his many collaborations with English-speaking artists, played an instrumental role as the genre definitely took over Western audiences and became the most popular genre of pop music worldwide, toppling the long dominance of hip hop, R&B and EDM. Literally every song on his setlist is a major hit. All killer, no filler. Can you really say the same about any other artist in the lineup (except Shellac, of course)? Name one.

Our playlist this year has 66 songs by 33 artists. We couldn’t make it shorter, it’s still impossible to see all those artists, and we could definitely add some more. Do you still think this is a subpar lineup? It’s not.

[entclic]

Slowdive - S/T (2017). What a comeback album it is!! They've managed to keep to their original formula and upgraded the feel and sound up to today's standards. This is definitely my contender for album of the year. Can't wait to see them this summer. Now all I'm waiting for is my Mojave3 to arrive. Perfect road to summer 👍#slowdive #vinyl #vinylpost #vinyllove #vinylporn #vinylcollection #vinylcollector #vinylcommunity #vinyljunkie #vinylrecords #vinyladdict #vinyligclub #vinyloftheday #vinylcollectionpost #lp #record #recordcollection #nowplaying

[photosofusly]

Exclaim!'s Top 29 Albums of 2017 So Far

As originally seen on Exclaim.ca.At this point last year, we’d already experienced massive album drops from the likes of Beyoncé, Kanye West, Radiohead, David Bowie and Drake; by the end of the year, we were left wondering just what was left to come out in 2017.

The answer is a swathe of albums by artists whose names might not adorn stadium marquees, but whose work shone brightly as beacons for another good year in music. Between long-awaited debut full-lengths, worldly, philosophical album statements and surprising genre crossovers, 2017 has seen a wealth of riches.

As the year’s halfway mark approaches, we’ve separated the great from the merely good in order to present the best albums released so far this year.

Click next to read through the albums one by one, or use the list below to skip ahead to your favourites.

Exclaim!’s Top 29 Albums of 2017 So Far:

1. Kendrick Lamar – DAMN. 2. Sampha – Process 3. Feist – Pleasure 4. Father John Misty – Pure Comedy 5. Mount Eerie – A Crow Looked at Me 6. Drake – More Life 7. Jay Som – Everybody Works 8. Mac DeMarco – This Old Dog 9. Joey Bada$$ – All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ 10. Slowdive – Slowdive 11. Power Trip – Nightmare Logic 12. The xx – I See You 13. Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels 3 14. Thundercat – Drunk 15. Oddisee – The Iceberg 16. Code Orange – Forever 17. Kelly Lee Owens – Kelly Lee Owens 18. Full of Hell – Trumpeting Ecstasy 19. Cloud Nothings – Life Without Sound 20. Stormzy – Gang Signs & Prayer 21. Do Make Say Think – Stubborn Persistent Illusions 22. Incendiary – Thousand Mile Stare 23. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – Flying Microtonal Banana 24. (Sandy) Alex G – Rocket 25. Future Islands – The Far Field 26. Timber Timbre – Sincerely, Future Pollution 27. GAS – Narkopop 28. Paramore – After Laughter 29. Ryuichi Sakamoto – async

29. Ryuichi Sakamoto async (Milan)

A good deal has been made of the possibly autobiographical nature of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s triumphant return, async. The disc landed a little less than three years after his throat cancer diagnosis, and is replete with mournful synth lines, scratchy noise (if ever there was a track that made you want to clear your throat, it’s “andata") and spoken word segments about mortality.

There’s much more than nostalgia at work here, though. The 65-year-old, who calls both Tokyo and New York City home, delivered us a complex, at times difficult listen. Yet async remains wholly accessible. It’s beautiful without being pretty, engaging and, at the same time, comforting.

Is the disc’s title short for asynchronous, which refers to events "not occurring at the same time"? Maybe reading his illness and subsequent recovery into that is a stretch, but Sakamoto’s pre-release materials describe his interest in "the blurred lines of life and artificiality/noise and music." The line between good and poor health is often similarly tough to distinguish, but its exploration would fit perfectly amidst the tender thoughtfulness evident here. Kevin Press

28. Paramore After Laughter (Fueled By Ramen)

Paramore have gone through their share of professional and personal turmoil and lineup changes since their chart-topping self-titled LP. Bassist Jeremy Davis left, drummer Zac Farro returned seven years after an acrimonious split and singer Hayley Williams admitted in pre-release interviews that she often doubted they would ever record another album. The trio address this adversity head-on on the startling, emotionally complex After Laughter, a tuneful, effervescent full-length on which Paramore mostly trade what was left of their punk and emo roots for New Wave synths, sinewy Afrobeat-influenced guitar riffs and percussive Technicolor pop that evokes Talking Heads, Paul Simon and Tango in the Night-era Fleetwood Mac.

In contrast with the soaring, ebullient melodies, the lyrics reflect the band’s tumultuous recent past, most prominently on the LP’s first single, the cathartic "Hard Times." Hitting rock bottom has rarely sounded better than on After Laughter, one of the year’s finest pop albums. Thierry Côté

27. GAS Narkopop (Kompakt)

Wolfgang Voigt has kept busy over the last 17 years through his various projects, but he’s been neglecting the one that earns him the most attention. Capitalizing on last year’s elaborate GAS box set, the 56-year-old returned with his fifth album under the moniker like no time had passed.

His new 75-minute opus, Narkopop, surveys different moods and pulses, filling in the vast space with a range of textures and styles: drone, ambient, neo-classical and minimal techno. The results can be mesmeric and beautiful, though he’s not averse to stirring up discomfiting moments to throw the listener’s meditation off, either.

Although it follows the GAS template in its design and structure, Narkopop, like its predecessors, is very much its own entity and an exciting next phase in the oeuvre of electronic music’s most intriguing characters. Cam Lindsay

26. Timber Timbre Sincerely, Future Pollution (Arts & Crafts)

The sinister synths that flood Timber Timbre’s sixth LP leave little doubt that the Canadian band’s latest record, Sincerely, Future Pollution, isn’t entirely optimistic about humanity’s course. The free-floating folk-noir ensemble, led by the haunting vocals of Taylor Kirk, reach new vibrancy on this record by harkening back to ’80s-era Bowie, drum machines and dystopian narratives to create an album that, like Pink Floyd’s The Wall, comprises a cinematic whole yet is approachable enough to enjoy in individual parts.

Evidenced by the cascading melodies of "Moment," the wide-swath guitar strums of "Sewer Blues" and the clavinet-bumping "Grifting," Sincerely, Future Pollution is much more concerned with world-building than 2014’s sensuous Hot Dreams in both theme and vision. As they have each release since 2006’s Cedar Shakes, Timber Timbre somehow manage to enhance their ever-evolving sound once again here; this time, they do so by borrowing from the past to craft an album as fresh as it is timeless. Mackenzie Herd

25. Future Islands The Far Field (4AD)

Less immediate than 2014’s Singles but ultimately more rewarding, the hooks on Future Islands’ The Far Field are subtler, the sound a little wearier. Anchored by the soulful, strange vocal stylings of Samuel T. Herring, the band still know how to write songs that will sound great at the outdoor festivals they’ve graduated to since the smash success of "Seasons (Waiting on You)" — and there are several of those here — but the real revelation is the bold steps they’re taking in the face of their success.

The woozy, weird "Candles" and the call-and-response Debbie Harry duet "Shadows" are proof that the band aren’t content to play it safe. By resisting the urge to go bigger, Future Islands have instead gone deeper, to devastating effect. Dave Mix

24. (Sandy) Alex G Rocket (Domino)

Eight albums in, the restless Alex Giannascoli — aka (Sandy) Alex G — refuses to be labeled simply as "indie rock." On Rocket, he tackles it all — bittersweet alt-country ("Bobby"), industrial pseudo-rap ("Brick"), auto-tuned R&B ("Sportstar"), weirdo psych-pop ("Witch"), ramshackle experimental noise ("Horse"), and the list could go on — yet it all still feels oddly cohesive, shrouded in a mysterious lo-fi intimacy narrated by Giannascoli’s melodic and dazed vocal style.

Hints of self-doubt, anger, sarcasm and bliss blend together effortlessly thanks to a strange and freaky concoction of plucky acoustic guitar, screeching synthesizers, dazzling violin, piano, saxophone and even random dogs barking. Rocket readily mutates around unsettling emotions using inventive fictional personas; it’s a curious approach, but it grounds the record to a quietly relatable content, and incites new feelings with each listen. Chris Gee

23. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Flying Microtonal Banana (ATO)

Like most of their previous efforts, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard’s latest project was tied to a concept from the outset — this time around, microtonality.

Flying Microtonal Banana might be the band’s most ambitious concept album so far, using a collection of microtonal instruments to weave unique melodies and Eastern-flavoured harmonies into the band’s usual frenetic grooves. That experimentation shines on tracks like "Open Water," with riffs that sound like an electrified snake-charmer, and "Billabong Valley," on which lead guitarist and singer Stu Mackenzie’s vocal lines mirror the eerie and hypnotic guitar melodies.

Rather than allowing themselves to be boxed in on Banana, though, the band run wild with the concept, transcending the chromatic scale to pull together one of the best psych-rock experiences of the year. Brandon Choghri

22. Incendiary Thousand Mile Stare (Closed Casket Activities)

Incendiary’s Thousand Mile Stare is a blistering return for the Long Island hardcore outfit. In the four years since their last record, Cost of Living, the music industry has seen some dramatic changes, particularly in relation to the current political climate. With these ten tracks, Incendiary prove that not only are they still relevant, but they’re on the forefront of their scene, leaders in an increasingly anxiety-ridden landscape.

The album’s eye-opening lyrics and gut-busting riffs are perfectly exemplified in "Front Toward Enemy," as frontman Brendan Garrone yells about "Fearing revolution": "They got their trigger fingers moving / The threat of oncoming war." Thousand Mile Stare’s unforgiving interpretation of a genre the band helped build, coupled with the passionate message they continue to spew, help make it one of hardcore’s most important release of 2017 thus far. Griffin Elliot

21. Do Make Say Think Stubborn Persistent Illusions (Constellation)

Do Make Say Think have never made a weak album, but nobody expected the legendary Torontonian instrumental octet to come back with such vital urgency after the longest recording gap in their lifespan. Perhaps it should’ve been clear though — they declare literal "War on Torpor" on Stubborn Persistent Illusions’ opening track. And to back the claim, this music is anything but lethargic or mentally lazy.

Everything we love about the band is present — the brash energy of punk rock, the rhythmic complexity of jazz and Afrobeat, the patient, bold dynamics of classical, and those epic, richly interwoven tapestries of guitar melodies and horn harmonies — but while these pieces share obvious genetic material with the band’s best work, none of it feels like an exercise in cloning. It’s like new sonic lifeforms are evolving from the band’s collective primordial soup to populate heretofore unexplored corners of their distinct sound world.

Beautifully realized with the utmost of love and respect for the act of co-creation and a work that may well be the new high water mark in post-rock, Stubborn Persistent Illusions is an absolute gift to fans of the ineffable magic of musical collaboration. Scott Gray

20. Stormzy Gang Signs & Prayer (#Merky)

For a decade-and-a-half, future-minded hip-hop heads and Anglophiles alike wondered how to get grime over to North American audiences. In the last two years, it’s finally happened, thanks in no small part to Skepta. But while he may have been the one to open the door, absurdly tall South London MC Stormzy has burst through it with enough force to remove hinge from frame.

On Gang Signs & Prayer, Stormzy serves up a perfect blend of crisp, rapid-fire delivery, aggro battle rap, heartbreaking introspection and surprising R&B sensibility. Stormzy is a perfect poster child for the new wave of clever, pop-savvy grime MCs. Chris Dart

19. Cloud Nothings Life Without Sound (Carpark)

Almost every year, an album is released that immediately stands out from the punk-leaning, guitar-slinging pack. It was Beach Slang a couple years ago, and now it’s Cloud Nothings’ turn with Life Without Sound, a record that sheds any of the extraneous influence of the past and find the band at their most cohesive and emotionally resonant yet.

The shift in sound from previous LP Here and Nowhere Else is noticeable. The guitars are a little less ragged, the hooks maybe not as prominent, but while the intensity has been dialled back, it ends up refocusing the group’s vision, and elevates Cloud Nothings’ sound to the next level. Marked by themes of self-evaluation, isolation and desperation, Dylan Baldi’s lyrics feel relatable, without being cliché. Those moments where Baldi’s emotionally driven lyrics hit hardest seem perfectly balanced against the band’s momentous riffs, which burst from every angle out of the speakers feeling alive and purposeful. Anthony Augustine

18. Full of Hell Trumpeting Ecstasy (Profound Lore)

Following a pair of collaborative albums with experimental noise artists the Body and Merzbow, Full of Hell stripped away a lot of the chaotic noise elements found on those releases for a more focused and cohesive record. In just a little over 20 minutes, Trumpeting Ecstasy finds the grindcore powerhouses launching a savage assault of blast beats and ear-piercing shrieks with just enough variation to let each song stand on its own.

Throughout, the band manage to infuse their abrasive tracks and organized havoc with thoughtfulness and care, as evident on songs like "The Cosmic Vein" and the blisteringly fast onslaught of "Branches of Yew." And though they’ve dialled back the experimental noise here, the band still manage to fit those sounds into the delicate yet aggressive title track. Trumpeting Ecstasy is a slab of viciously hostile grindcore not meant for the faint of heart. Joe Smith-Engelhardt

17. Kelly Lee Owens Kelly Lee Owens (Smalltown Supersound)

Within its few seconds, Kelly Lee Owens’s self-titled debut evokes the familiarity of an old favourite. Her spacious, pop-inflected techno is both vivid and economical, wringing nuanced emotions from simple elements. "S.O" and "Lucid" show the patience of a seasoned pro, enchanting listeners with cozy ambience before introducing a beat, while "C.B.M." and "8" go straight for the throat, showcasing thumping bass and mind-bending drone, respectively.

Owens’ concise, focused lyrics feel naturally expressive, as soothing as a well-worn mantra. Yet she refuses to coddle her listeners, and both "Anxi." and "Throwing Lines" hint at internal discord without breaking the record’s placid surface. Kelly Lee Owens is as invigorating as it is inviting, and it only gets more welcoming with each repeated rotation. Matthew Blenkarn

16. Code Orange Forever (Roadrunner)

Leading up to the release of Forever, Code Orange’s third full-length album, many questions orbited the band and their future: Would the shift from Deathwish Inc. to Roadrunner Records dilute their unrelenting sound? Would Code Orange’s loyalty to producer Kurt Ballou begin to yield stagnant and predictable results? Having demonstrated much promise in the past, but never fully delivering on their potential, Forever had to be the band’s best effort yet.

Code Orange answered by punishing all scepticism with nauseatingly visceral riffs, behemoth breakdowns, jarring passages and concussion-inducing percussion. Forever is the band’s heaviest and most menacing album to date, while offering the most diversity, too. Having been released only two weeks into the year, the record will face much competition in the battle for 2017’s best heavy record, but it’s inarguably in the conversation; this shit is thoroughly, aggressively good. Lukas Wojcicki

15. Oddisee The Iceberg (Mello Music Group)

It’s an understatement to say that many of 2017’s headlines have inspired cultural malaise. But, as usual, tense political climates have led to some seriously reflective music. And Oddisee’s latest project, The Iceberg, recently joined the highest echelon of socially conscious rap albums.

The 12-track LP delivers a healthy dose of social commentary, discussing police brutality, immigration, gender inequality and, of course, Donald Trump’s presidency. In such an unpredictable era, an album like The Iceberg helps listeners make sense of the world while also disseminating an important message: You’re not alone.

But storytelling is only part of the battle when putting together a masterful rap project, and like only a handful of other hip-hop artists, Oddisee produces his own beats. Throughout The Iceberg, the 32-year-old pushes the boundaries of the genre by layering unorthodox instrumentation with dense synths and prominent percussion. Imagine a hip-hop track guided by an organ; Oddisee did, and he made it sound dope. Anya Zoledziowski

14. Thundercat Drunk (Brainfeeder)

Like a wild night out featuring several shots of tequila, Drunk is zany and random, an immensely entertaining journey through Thundercat’s colourful mind.

A blend of angelic vocals, quirky lyrics ("I think I left my wallet at the club," he croons) and dizzying bass lines that defy human logic, Drunk has anthems for every variation of inebriation. There’s the fun and fidgety "Tokyo" for the restless drunk, "Drink Dat" for the flirty lush among you and "Lava Lamp" for the more sombre imbiber. "Friend Zone" plays like the gratifying tipsy text you’ll later regret sending, while "Jethro" feels communal and deeply spiritual, like a heart-to-heart between two buzzed strangers at the bar. Featuring clever, full-bodied production from collaborators like Flying Lotus and Soundwave, Drunk is great at first and gets even richer over time, a merry indulgence without the hangover. A. Harmony

13. Run the Jewels Run the Jewels 3 (Independent)

The political ire of nonconformists El-P and Killer Mike has long been at the forefront of their music, and the same can be said of their latest, Run the Jewels 3, a finely executed confrontation of the ruling class and a perfect closer for their album trilogy.

On top of its gorgeous, hard-hitting production, RTJ3 features help from an impressive list of collaborators including Danny Brown, BOOTS, Trina and Kamasi Washington. Run the Jewels have crafted a sound and style that stands alone, and here, it’s sharpened enough to go for the throat. The duo’s ingenuity is recognizable almost immediately, and impossible to duplicate. If their first two records laid the groundwork for battle, RTJ3 finds the rap iconoclasts in the thick of it. Ashley Hampson

12. The xx I See You (Young Turks)

It seems almost contradictory to say that the xx expanding their sound could make their material more intimate — especially given the way they already wore their emotions on their sleeves — but that’s exactly the case with their third album, I See You.

On their first two records, the band matched lovelorn confessions with spare, reverb-heavy guitars, distant drums and the hushed vocal deliveries of Oliver Sim and Romy Madley Croft. This time around, producer Jamie Smith, fresh off his excellent solo record In Colour, infused the record with his signature sample-driven production style, adding a whole new level of character to the band’s signature sound without distracting from the emotional heft of the songs. The record is easily the band’s most ambitious, but also their most rewarding, featuring gems like Madley Croft’s heartbreaking vocals on "Performance" and the danceable "I Dare You."

Their sound palette has expanded considerably, but so has their conviction as a group, a fact that’s clear from I See You’s beginning to its end. Matt Yuyitung

11. Power Trip Nightmare Logic (Southern Lord)

The "crossover" in crossover thrash is on the continuum of metal to punk, but for Power Trip, there’s a whole other crossover happening — from hardcore underground to metal mainstream. With over 10,000 copies sold, Nightmare Logic is quickly becoming a phenomenon, and with good reason — it’s phenomenal.

While artists worry about a sophomore slump, Power Trip have delivered a sophomore slam dunk, outshining their previous material that is, itself, far from lacklustre. There’s new confidence here: Riley Gale’s powerful snarl is now less reverb-soaked; "Executioner’s Tax (Swing of the Axe)" and the title track manage to turn straight-ahead chugs into memorable, headbangable riffs; and the opening groove of "Soul Sacrifice" and the blaring thrash with which "Firing Squad" comes out of the gates are incredible. And that’s just the first half of the album.

Not since Municipal Waste blew "rethrash" open a decade ago with their penchant for partying has a band had a better shot at bringing thrash back to its one-time glory as one of the world’s biggest heavy genres. Bradley Zorgdrager

10. Slowdive Slowdive (Dead Oceans)

Releasing a record is a tricky proposition for any reunited band, let alone one as monumentally adored as Slowdive. Come back half-cocked and you’ll risk disappointing fans; refrain from making anything new, and you’ll leave listeners (and band members alike) wondering what could have been.

The British shoegazers deftly avoid both possibilities with their latest LP (and first in 22 years), a self-titled album filled with woozy atmospherics, ethereal vocals and reverb-drenched guitars that pack the same wallop as crumbling ice shelves.

Slowdive aren’t exactly reinventing themselves here, but with their core songwriters having spent the last two decades in the understated Mojave 3, and the whole band having toured together since 2014, Slowdive is a lean and impressive set of songs that improves upon what they do best. Hell, it might even be the best album of their career; it’s certainly the most fully realized. Matthew Ritchie

9. Joey Bada$$ All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ (Cinematic Music Group/Pro Era)

Joey Bada$$’s second studio LP, All-Amerikkkan Bada$$, was released early this year, debuting at #5 on the Billboard Hot 200. It marked a departure from his debut album; where that record served more as a showcase of his wordplay and an homage to the golden era of hip-hop, this time around, Joey packed his 12-song project with scorching political commentary that aimed to draw awareness from the younger generation of listeners that have come to hold the 22-year-old rapper in high regard.

Alongside releasing political-minded singles "Devastated" and "Land of the Free," Joey claimed that "I was put here on this Earth not only to inspire but to wake people up" in the lead-up to AAB’s release. Having heard its entirety, that makes sense; the album is a defiant assertion of his status as a leader of millennials and a timely collection of (almost) entirely self-produced, anti-establishment anthems Riley Wallace

8. Mac DeMarco This Old Dog (Royal Mountain)

Mac DeMarco, a hero for the kids with his onstage antics and an inspiration to "keep it light" while wearing a pair of seen-better-days red Vans and an equally beatup baseball cap, has become synonymous with goofiness and good times. So when This Old Dog, his third studio album, was announced, it was easy to assume that he’d continue to bring the "jizz jazz" signature sound that he popularized — but he didn’t.

Instead, DeMarco proved to critics and fans alike (likely shocking both a tad) that not only can he pen a great tune, he’s equally capable of bringing the party and pulling at your heartstrings. He’s teased at this sort of softness before, with tracks like "Still Together" from 2 or Salad Days’ "Let My Baby Stay," but This Old Dog’s focuses on sweetly strummed guitars, melodies that provoke nostalgia and lyrics that address love and his estranged father, with a few surprises thrown in (the slinky "On The Level" and bouncy "Baby You’re Out"). It’s a wonderful surprise, and a sweet one, too. Cosette Schulz

7. Jay Som Everybody Works (Polyvinyl)

Melina Duterte has said that her debut album as Jay Som was inspired by Carly Rae Jepsen’s E•MO•TION, a talking point that has reverberated throughout all of her press. True, songs like "Remain" and "One More Time, Please" bear at least some similarity to Jepsen’s more slow-danceable heartbreak anthems, but reducing Everybody Works to this comparison ignores the album’s character and breadth.

"The Bus Song" is an absolutely timeless indie rock sing-along that makes a solid argument for the return of gang vocals, "1 Billion Dogs" is a fuzzed out alterna-banger and "(BedHead)" is ingenious slowcore. The Jepsen comparison is most on-point in that Everybody Works is so perfect that it sounds like it was laboured over by a team of songwriters and hip producers. But it wasn’t — it was recorded by Duterte, alone in her bedroom. Josiah Hughes

6. Drake More Life (Young Money/Cash Money/Republic)

If VIEWS was the angry rebuttable to Drake’s authenticity being challenged, More Life is the realization that introspective and peace-seeking is his most authentic artistic self. While its swollen "playlist" designation allows for a few unnecessary inclusions, the majority of Drake’s tenth full-length project finds him at his absolute finest.

The underlying theme is celebratory, including the sewn-in appraisal for an increasingly varied selection of global influences. For a brief moment a year ago, it looked as if Drake’s unchecked dominance may be coming to an end, a notion that seems ridiculous in retrospect. Emerging as a humble victor suits Drake best, and allows us all to reap the real spoils. Michael J. Warren

5. Mount Eerie A Crow Looked at Me (P.W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd.)

"Death is real."

In the past two decades that Phil Elverum has been singing about mortality, nothing he’s said before has been as hard-hitting, direct and heavy as these three words. Recorded during the months following the death of his wife, Geneviève Castrée, A Crow Looked at Me is a document of Elverum’s thoughts, fears and reality.

But what makes his eighth Mount Eerie LP so compelling is how it stands as an example of peerless art. Elverum couldn’t have been thinking of his fan base, record label or any musical scene while recording these songs; he was creating music out of pure necessity, as the 11 songs featured on this LP are bereft of choruses, bridges or even a proper rhyming structure. A Crow Looked at Me is an album Elverum almost certainly wishes he never had to make, but alas, death is real, and therefore it exists. This resulting meditation on grief is both stark and stunning. Daniel Sylvester

4. Father John Misty Pure Comedy (Sub Pop)

Father John Misty’s all-encompassing Pure Comedy finds Josh Tillman addressing the absurdity of human life, the effect of technology on the way we connect with others and the inherent meaninglessness of being here, but he does it all with shocking affection, in an Elton John-esque guise.

Far from a cynical polemic, Pure Comedy is a monster of a record that is never as hopeless as it may appear. It tries to shine a light on the possibility of a brighter, happier future by pointing out trivialities like the ridiculous weight we ascribe to our online presence ("Ballad of the Dying Man"), or by holding up a mirror to our strange human existence/experiment on its title track.

In its final moments, during "In Twenty Years or So," Tillman drives home just what we can learn from and do with meaninglessness: Find our own meaning. And as he sings, "I look at you as our second drinks arrive / the piano player’s playing ‘This Must Be The Place,’ and it’s a miracle to be alive," it’s clear that beauty and meaning and love are not so hard to find — even in a world that might suggest otherwise. Matt Williams

3. Feist Pleasure (Universal)

Leslie Feist’s first record in over half-a-decade might just be her best. Somewhere between the delicate sophistication of 2007’s The Reminder and the rougher bombast of 2011’s Metals, Pleasure finds Feist at her most dynamic, weaving timbres as seemingly contrary as woodwinds and gain-y blues guitar into songs that swing dramatically from placid to stormy in seconds — and that’s just in the first five minutes of it.

Even at their loudest, these songs are minimal: "I Wish I Didn’t Miss You" climaxes with Feist’s voice wailing through a watery delay effect over just her acoustic guitar; "Any Party" sounds like one when the gang vocals join her and her guitar for the chorus; and the propulsive "Century" is lent almost all of its urgency by a crackling layer of handclaps. They’re simple ingredients, but in Feist’s deft hands, they sound like pure Pleasure. Stephen Carlick

2. Sampha Process (Young Turks)

Though many listeners may have first become acquainted with Sampha through his guest features with Drake or SBTRKT, the UK native has firmly established himself as a solo artist with Process. It isn’t just his buttery tenor that makes his long-awaited debut LP a standout of this year so far, but his talent as both a writer and producer, too.

Drawing on the process of overcoming his mother’s passing and his own personal hurdles in music-making, emotional strength is a thematic constant across the record’s ten tracks, from the percussive drive of piano and drums on "Blood on Me" to the hushed keys and enveloping pads of closer "What Shouldn’t I Be?"

The most powerful moment of Sampha’s Process comes when he strips the electronic wizardry away, though; the breathtaking ballad "(No One Knows Me) Like the Piano" finds him seated at the ivories to lay bare his love for both his mother and music. Calum Slingerland

1. Kendrick Lamar DAMN. (Interscope/Top Dawg Entertainment)

Given music’s subjectivity, and Exclaim!’s long-standing policy of allowing writers to freely express their opinions, our original review of Kendrick Lamar’s latest caused some expected consternation. It’s an album that was praised by some, and fell short for others. After polling the Exclaim! writer’s pool, the overwhelming consensus was that DAMN. is the most beloved album released in 2017 so far.

Over sonically skeletal production, Lamar bares his truths and insecurities, fleshing out the songs with new layers and textures as he dramatizes the various characters he uses to speak on his behalf. He balances societal heartache and ferocious resilience, serving as a mouthpiece to tell the stories of his generation, as well as those before him and after us — and unapologetically, at that. The war chants of "DNA." and the introspective depth of "DUCKWORTH." offer jolting insights into the lives of young black Americans, while the animated "HUMBLE." and daunting "PRIDE." explore the waves of fear and acceptance that come with that day-to-day existence.

Whether you love DAMN. or not, for all that it stands for thematically, you have to admire Lamar for laying it all out on the table. Erin Lowers

View Full Article Here: Exclaim!’s Top 29 Albums of 2017 So Far

Exclaim!’s Top 29 Albums of 2017 So Far was originally published on CALM | We Drive The Calmest, Strive Regardless

[iamjamesmatthew]

OBSOLETE RECORDS: NEW RELEASES/RESTOCKS FOR EARLY JUNE

OBSOLETE RECORDS - New Releases/Restocks for early June:

**all items are currently available for sale at Obsolete Records - 2454 Agricola Street (Halifax, NS Canada)

alt-j   relaxer   cd/lp arrhytmia   s/t   tape (hermitofthewoods) beach fossils   somersault   cd/lp (limited edition clear vinyl) bert jansch   living in the shadows v1   4lp box set bert jansch   living in the shadows v2   4 lp box set billie holiday   strange fruit   lp (violet vinyl repress) childish gambino   awaken, my love   cd/2lp box set cigarettes after sex   s/t   lp crimpshrine   dust tape soup   lp (repress) crimpshrine   sound of a new world being born   lp (repress) dan auerbach   waiting on a song   cd danny brown   atrocity exhibition   cd/2lp drums   abysmal thoughts   lp helium   ends with and   2lp (colored vinyl) helium   dirt of luck   lp (repress) helium   magic city/no guitars   2lp (repress) higher state   s/t   tape (EMC/hermitofthewoods) interpol   antics   lp (repress) interpol   turn on the bright lights   lp (repress) jason isbell/400 unit   nashville sound   cd/lp (180 gram vinyl) (release date june 16th) jeff buckley   grace   lp (180 gram repress) judee sill   heart food   lp (180 gram repress) judee sill   s/t   lp (180 gram repress) moondog   s/t   lp (white vinyl repress) new pornographers   whiteout conditions   cd/lp (blue vinyl) nick cave/bad seeds   lovely creatures: best of   2cd/3cd+dvd/3cd+dvd+book box set/3lp (180 gram vinyl) nick cave/bad seeds   one more time with feeling   blu-ray nick drake   bryter layter   lp (180 gram repress) nick drake   five leaves left   lp (180 gram repress) nick drake   pink moon   lp (180 gram repress) phoenix   ti amo   lp pinegrove   cardinal   lp pinegrove   everything so far   2lp slowdive   original album classics   3cd soundtrack (angelo badalamenti)   blue velvet   lp (repress) soundtrack   v1 stranger things   2lp soundtrack   v2 stranger things   2lp stereolab   dots and loops   2lp (repress) stereolab   emperor tomato ketchup   2lp (repress) sufjan stevens/nico muhly/bryce dessner...   planetarium   cd/2lp swans   great annihilator   2cd/2lp (repress) swirlies   blonder tongue audio baton   lp (repress) swirlies   they spent their wild...   2lp (repress) tony conrad   ten years alive on the infinite plain   2cd tragically hip   day for night   2lp (repress) tragically hip   fully completely   lp (repress) tragically hip   live between us   2lp (repress) tragically hip   trouble at the henhouse   2lp (repress) walrus   family hangover   lp (white vinyl) wu-tang clan   wu-tang forever   4lp box set (180 gram repress)

[beatdisc]

Here’s a rundown of the new titles & main re-stocks through the past few days.

AFGHAN WHIGS, THE - IN SPADES ALDOUS HARDING - PARTY ALT-J - RELAXER BABE RAINBOW, THE - S/T (LTD Green Vinyl) CHINESE BURNS UNIT - JOANIE HATES CHACHI 7" DESCENDENTS - EVERYTHING SUCKS 20th ANNIV. FLEETWOOD MAC - MIRAGE: LP REISSUE FLEETWOOD MAC - TANGO IN THE NIGHT: LP REISSUE FOLEY! - HEY, DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT FRENZAL RHOMB - HI-VIS HIGH TEA (LTD Orange Vinyl) HARRY STYLES - S/T HEAD WOUND CITY - A NEW WAVE OF VIOLENCE HUGO RACE & MICHELANGELO RUSSO - JOHN LEE HOOKER'S WORLD TODAY HYDROMEDUSA - PARASITE 7" JOHN COLTRANE - A LOVE SUPREME: LP JOHN COLTRANE - BLUE TRAIN: LP REISSUE JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE - KIDS IN THE STREET KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD - FLYING MICROTONAL BANANA (2nd Press) LLOYD MCNEILL QUARTET - ASHA: LP REISSUE LONG DISTANCE RUNNER - NO VALUE 7" MUTOID MAIN - WAR MOANS NOTORIOUS B.I.G., THE - LIFE AFTER DEATH: LP REISSUE P.S. ELIOT - LIVING IN SQUALOR PEEP TEMPEL, THE - THE PEEP TEMPEL: LP (Debut LP, re-press) ROGER WATERS - IS THIS THE LIFE WE REALLY WANT SAN CISCO - THE WATER: LP SLOWDIVE - S/T TASH SULTANA - NOTION 12" WU-TANG CLAN - WU-TANG FOREVER: REISSUE (4xLP)

[macsmusicweek]

05/05/17

Natalia Lafourcade, Musas | Her live show gives me life. This is her most ‘live’ sounding record. W/ Los Macorinos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABLT6hdgEek

Café Tacvuba, Jei Beibi | Mexico’s eccentric rock pioneers turn in their most adventurous album. Os Mutanes-ian. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRiJtAYMkv4

Ozomatli, Non-Stop | LA ensemble, brings dub Mexico way, w/ lotsa guests, incl. Regulo Cara, Juanes & Herb Alpert! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExoKmqhJ24E

Alice Coltrane, World Spirituality Classics 1 | Compiles 4 tapes of dense devotionals from the jazz great’s ashram. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QV7RWRQxjDo

Patti LaBelle, Bel Hommage | Veteran R&B belter tries jazz, brings herself to the genre rather than surrender to it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=702gm8D_viI

Perfume Genius, No Shape | Seattle indie-pop artist, sounds very chamber-y this time, a bit like Arca w/ ballads. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EVhFTw4igw

Mac Demarco, This Old Dog | Canadian artist, 3rd album, affects British-y accent I hate. Songs are better this time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ykp1tXcYXkc

Juana Molina, Halo | Avant-garde Argentine pop artist, 7th album, creepy but remember she’s an ex-TV comedienne. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzqnISROwhQ

Diana Krall, Turn Up the Quiet | Course correction—standards set—after 2014’s soggy turd Wallflower. Back w/ Ribot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKO1PqN2dj8

Grateful Dead, Cornell 5/8/77 | Live show, Barton Hall at Cornell U, May 8, 1977. Considered one of their very best. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYXs8LurVVI

Marvin Rainwater, Complete Releases 1955-62 | First comp of digital age on the obscure part-Cherokee country singer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZL8m0bwV74

Chris Stapleton, From a Room Vol 1 | Country singer, Grammy winner, fancies himself a tradiZZzzoh sorry fell asleep. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI0TeFf6uD8

At the Drive-in, in•ter a•li•a | Post-hardcore, 1st album in 17 years, somehow fit in btwn guitarist’s 14 2016 albums. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoNJ6AQhmFY

Slowdive, Slowdive | Dream-pop, 1st album in 22 years, a period that spans the rise-and-fall of many they influenced. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogCih4OavoY

The Afghan Whigs, In Spades | Alt-rock, 8th album, 2nd after a 16-year hiatus. Never got the appeal, still don’t. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp7ooQ_7TPg

Umoja, 707 EP | South African pop band, 1988 release, Awesome Tapes of Africa reissue. 17 mins, ruthlessly catchy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-DwgyV-SAA

Tiny Vipers, Laughter | Had affection for her gorgeously spare 2009 album; 8 years later, here's the followup. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWlVnrQZKRw

Logic, Everybody | Biracial rapper, 3rd album, struggles w/ his white side but real offense is being a Chano ripoff. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxjC4CNG3_c

Blondie, Pollinator | New Wave legends, reunited in 03, 4th album since, follows very digital one, more analog rock. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaL-G9zVxzk

Big Walnuts Yonder, s/t | Supergroup: Mike Watt (Minutemen), Nels Cline (Wilco), Greg Saunier (Deerhoof). Debut. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAoNi6vE0iE

Taj Mahal & Keb' Mo’, TajMo | Careerist wank Mo’ wastes space, but any time Taj Mahal records it’s worth listening. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g44WzaSwnbI

Robin Trower, Time and Emotion | UK rock legend, singer for Procol Harum, solo/group albums going back to 1970s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmHhC4LTa4U

Brandi Carlile Celebrates 10 Years of the Story | Tribute for charity, w/ Dolly, OCMS, Margo Price, Adele, others. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zi_XPQ4tq40

Mary Lambert, Bold | Feat’d on Macklemore & RL’s “Same Love,” here to prove she can write terrible songs of her own. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnnzV-JsRJI

Jaimie Branch, Fly or Die | Chicago trumpeter, worked w/ William Parker, TV on the Radio. Her 1st album as a leader. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSC4jQR-3Ko

AJ Davila, El Futuro | Former frontman for Puerto Rican rockers Davila 666. Sounds a bit like ‘90s pop act Len. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js1P-jKHZpI

Alex Ubago, Canciones Impuntuales | Spanish pop-star, 8th album, mostly writes sweet ballads for his girlfriend. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB-f2Hqeyns

Adexe & Nau, Tú y Yo | Spanish male pop duo—14 & 11(!!) years old—signed to Sony off YouTube success covering Daddy Yankee. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBDCgxAH1iU

Ruth B., Safe Haven | Pop singer-songwriter, blew up from Vine she posted of her song about Peter Pan. Debut album. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58TBZnvyGwQ

Allison Pierce, Year of the Rabbit | Formerly of the alt-pop duo the Pierces, w/ sister Catherine. Debut solo album. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxAFAiPmYuQ

Joan Shelley, Joan Shelley | Kentucky singer-songwriter, 5th album, lithe country-folk, produced by Jeff Tweedy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RApERgzc9A

John Moreland, Big Bad Luv | Oklahoma-based alt-country artist, had an excellent album in 2015, this follows it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfkXnZ65jS8

Tony Jackson, s/t | Country singer, debut album, sings George Jones's 'Grand Tour' pretty damn well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsPUrSJpR7U

Vanishing Twin, Dream by Numbers EP | Experimental UK act, follows 2016 debut, original pressing was for Record Store Day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHna0hH7If0

Forest Swords, Compassion | U.K electronic producer, 2nd album but lots of EPs (2010's Dagger Paths is quite good). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyUSfuL9dxY

Organized Noize, s/t | Stalwart Atlanta hip-hop trio, primarily producers, this is billed as first "compilation EP." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGHRbrpTXI4

Worth Mentioning:

Black Lips, Satan’s Graffiti or God’s Art? (rock); Jesu/Sun Kil Moon, 30 Seconds to the Decline of Planet Earth (folk); Bonnie Prince Billy, Best Troubador (folk); Hoops, Routines (rock); Nite Jewel, Real High (indie-pop); Russ, There’s Really a Wolf (rap); Brother Ali, All the Beauty... (rap); Wreckonize, Into the Further (rap); Day Wave, The Days We Had (rock); LP, Lost on You (alt); A Lot Like Birds, DIVISI (rock); Sara Ann Garrison, Livin’ a Dream EP (country); Nicki Parrott, Dear Blossom (jazz); Niia, I (R&B); Colt Ford, Love Hope Faith (country-rap); Papi Wilo, Persiguiendo un Sueño (Latin rap); Las Robertas, Waves of the New (rock); Pond, The Weather (psych-rock); Mary Bragg, Lucky Strike (country); and Delia Gonzalez, Horse Follows Darkness (avant-garde)

[stormyrecords-blog]

new arrivals may 5th 2017

stormy records13306 michigan avedearborn, mi 48126313-581-9322 oh my word - the mother of all email updates. so many great titles this week!!we're open mon-sat 11am to 8pm so stop on by!and if you need anything put on hold - simply call or email us. thank you!!! IN ON FRIDAY MAY 5th Slowdive S/T new album (hoping for silver vinyl) on lp and cd - their first in 22 years!!silver vinyl  $18.99black vinyl  $18.99cd $12.99Slowdive’s second act as a live blockbuster has already been rapturously received around the world. Highlights thus far include a festival-conquering, sea-of-devotees Primavera Sound performance, of which Pitchfork noted: “The beauty of their crystalline sound is almost hard to believe, every note in its perfect place.” Bonnie Prince Billy covers Merle Haggard lp  $27.99Bonnie "Prince" Billy, also known as Will Oldham, is a longtime fan of the "Okie From Muskogee" Hall of Famer, having covered a Haggard song at his first public performance 25 years ago. He also interviewed the legendary songwriter for a magazine feature in 2009 and included a cover of "Because of Your Eyes" on a 7" vinyl release in 2011.Best Troubadour is the culmination of that decades-long love affair with Haggard's music, featuring 16 tracks from various stages of Haggard's lengthy career. Oldham recorded the songs in his home with the Bonafide United Musicians. Moon Duo 'Occult Architecture Vol. 1' CD $13.99Moon Duo 'Occult Architecture Vol. 2 (Blue Smoky Vinyl)' LP $18.99Meaning all things magick and supernatural, the root of the word occult is that which is hidden, concealed, beyond the limits of our minds. If this is occult, then the Occult Architecture of Moon Duo’s fourth album - a psychedelic opus in two separate volumes released in 2017 - is an intricately woven hymn to the invisible structures found in the cycle of seasons and the journey of day into night, dark into light. ALICE COLTRANE new lp  $32.99cd  $17.99Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda’s devotion to spirituality was the central purpose of the final four decades of her life, an often-overlooked awakening that largely took shape during her four year marriage to John Coltrane and after his 1967 death. By 1983, Alice had established the 48- acre Sai Anantam Ashram outside of Los Angeles. She quietly began recording music from the ashram, releasing it within her spiritual community in the form of private press cassette tapes. On May 5, the record label Luaka Bop, founded by David Byrne, will release the first-ever compilation of recordings from this period, making these songs available to the wider public for the first time. Entitled ‘World Spirituality Classics, Volume 1: The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda', the release is the first installment in a planned series of spiritual music from around the globe; curated, compiled and distributed by Luaka Bop. SUN RA singles vol 1 $37.99vol 2 $37.99vinyl versions of collected singles comp Strut present the definitive collection of singles released by Sun Ra across his illustrious career, spanning 1952 to 1991. Released prolifically during the 1950s and more sporadically thereafter, primarily on the Saturn label, the 45s offer one-off meteorites from Ra’s prolific cosmic journey, tracing the development of his forwardthinking “Space-Bop” and his unique take on jazz and blues traditions. The collection is hugely varied, ranging from Ra’s spoken word recitations and his early work with Chicago vocal groups to the different phases of his Arkestra, small group and duet recordings. The singles are also unpredictable vehicles for Ra’s music, combining different tracks from different sessions and occasionally making available music which was recorded many years beforehand. As with his LPs, most 45s were only pressed in small runs and have since become extremely rare and sought after. Only a small handful of copies of ‘Love In Outer Space’ b/w ‘Mayan Temple’ and ‘The Blue One’ b/w ‘Orbitration In Blue’ have ever been seen; some have only been discovered in physical form in recent years; some were planned and pencilled but allegedly never made it to vinyl (including ‘Saturn’ and ‘Velvet’ from the Jazz In Silhouette LP) and some appeared as limited one-off magazine singles and posthumous releases, including ‘Hell #1’ aka ‘Out There A Minute’. The set is the most comprehensive collection of Ra’s singles to date. Sleeve note writers Francis Gooding and Paul Griffiths brilliantly illustrate the role of the single within Ra’s career and break down each release with detailed track by track notes. Working with Sun Ra LLC and Sun Ra archivist Michael D. Anderson, Strut has also assembled the best possible master sources for each track. ‘Singles’ will be released in various formats across two release dates. All formats feature fully remastered tracks, rare photos, original 45 artwork, Francis Gooding’s extensive sleeve notes, an interview with Saturn Records founder Alton Abraham by John Corbett and detailed track by track and session notes by Paul Griffiths. ALBERT AYLER - Prophecy lp $28.99ESP-Disk present a reissue of Albert Ayler's Prophecy, originally released in 1975. Recorded in concert at the Cellar Cafe, NYC, June 14, 1964. Three weeks before this trio recorded ESP-Disk's first jazz album, the epochal Spiritual Unity (ESPDISK 1002CD/LP), it was captured "live" by Canadian poet Paul Haines, who also recorded the New York Eye and Ear Control soundtrack (ESPDISK 1016CD/LP). This is one of the most influential groups in jazz history, a coming together of like-minded innovators who would be considered crucial influences by succeeding generations, so there is no question of the immense value of this material. Yoked, in the CD era, to the one-sided 1965 LP Bells (ESPDISK 4076CD), made with a different band in a very different style a year later, it is perhaps best appreciated on its own. Personnel: Albert Ayler - tenor saxophone; Gary Peacock - bass; Sunny Murray - drums; Paul Haines - engineer. Presented here on opaque yellow vinyl. Ciani, S: Lixiviation LP  $28.99LP version. 2017 repress. The American Delia Derbyshire of the Atari generation. With a sonic portfolio that boasts commissions for the Xenon classic pinball machine, the sounds for the Meco Star Wars theme, the Atari TV commercials, and the electronic sound effects in the original Stepford Wives film (1975), amongst many others, the mutant electronic music CV of Suzanne Ciani is proof that in a 1970s commercial world of boys toys, monopolized by a male dominated media industry, a woman's touch was the essential secret ingredient to successful sonic seduction. A classically trained musician, with an MA in music composition, this American-Italian pianist was first introduced to the synthesizer via her connections in the art world when abstract sculptor and collaborator Harold Paris introduced Suzanne to synthesizer designer Don Buchla who created the Buchla Synthesizer, the instrument that would come to define Ciani's synthetic sound. Cutting her teeth providing self-initiated electronic music projects for art galleries, experimental film directors, pop record producers, and proto-video nasties, Suzanne soon located to New York where she quickly became the first point of call for electronic music services in both the underground experimental fields and the commercial advertising worlds alike. Counting names like Vangelis and Harald Bode amongst her close friends, Suzanne and her Ciani Musica company became the testing ground for virtually any type of new developments in electronic and computerized music amassing an expansive vault of commercially unexposed electronic experiments which have remained untouched for over 30 years... until now. Finders Keepers Records present a new creative archive based relationship with Suzanne Ciani, who, as one of the very few female composers in the field (save Chicago's Laurie Spiegel, Italy's Doris Norton, and a post-op Walter Wendy Carlos) turned a hugely significant wheel behind-the-screens of many early computerized music modules throughout the 1980s, dating back to her formative years studying at Stanford's Artificial Intelligence Labs in the early '70s. Suzanne Ciani's detailed and academic approach to music and electronics coupled with an impeccable sense of timing and melody (and a good sense of humor) shines throughout this new collection of previously unreleased recordings. Lixiviation complies and re-contextualizes both secret music and commercial experiments of Suzanne Ciani made for microcosmic time slots and never previously documented on vinyl or CD. Gas: Narkopop 3LP+CD   $74.99Triple LP version. Includes CD. Comes with a 24-page booklet in a hardcover book. In the body of work of Cologne artist Wolfgang Voigt - who, like few others, has informed, shaped and influenced the world of electronic music with countless different projects since the early 1990s - Gas stands out in particular, a saturnine sound cosmos based on heavily condensed classic sequences. Even after nearly 20 years, the sound of Gas doesn't seem to have lost any of its luster, as shown by the commanding success of Kompakt's fall 2016 re-release of the essential back catalogue as a box set (KOM 370LP). The overwhelming feedback from a loyal international fan community and worldwide media outlets attests once again to the sheer timelessness of Gas. Which is why it will feel like hardly a day has passed since the release of the last official album Pop nearly two decades ago in 2000, when Wolfgang Voigt resumes this specific creative path with the upcoming new full-length Narkopop. Even in the here and now, the unmistakable vibe of Gas immediately hits home, taking the listener on an otherworldly journey with the very first sounds, drawing them into an impervious sonic thicket, down to the depths of rapture and reverie. From wafts of dense symphonic mist emerges a floating and whirling feeling of weightlessness, before the listener steps into an eerily beautiful forest of fantasy, pulled in by the allure of a narcotic bass drum. While earlier Gas tracks were often based on the hypnotic effects of looping techniques, the ten new pieces on Narkopop unfold their magic in a more entwined manner, sometimes with the sonic might of an entire philharmonic orchestra, at times subtle and fragile. A main characteristic of Voigt's oeuvre, the coalescence of seemingly contradictory stylistic aspects such as harmonious and atonal, concrete and abstract, light and heavy, near and far is also a decisive feature of Narkopop. In accordance with the transgressive spirit of his collective work, Voigt carries the aesthetic conceptions of his music over to the realm of the visual. Based on his abstract forest pictures, the Gas artwork addresses Voigt's artistic affinity to romanticism and the forest as a place of yearning. For the first time, a closer look at the cover of Narkopop reveals signs of architectural fragments which hint at another, maybe parallel world behind Voigt's forest. Truth is the prettiest illusion. Diez-Ena, Javier: Theremonial LP $23.99Magnetic field, two antennas, twisted hands searching those hidden notes in the ether. Javier Diez Ena's Theremonial is a record with only theremin sounds, but it is not a theremin solo album. It's not a soloist piece, it's a kaleidoscopic range of sounds. Once you listen, you will discover rhythms, melodies, basslines, textures, harmonies, noises -- Yes, believe it or not, all that sonic magma comes exclusively from a theremin. No sampler was used in this record, every sound has been played with the instrument, sometimes in its natural spooky way, sometimes filtered through a weird variety of effect pedals. There are theremins playing the role of the bass drum, or snare, or bass, even theremins turning into guitar chords, shakers -- maybe this could be the first record where the theremin assumes all the musical roles usually related to a band. The theremin and its truly hard tuning sounds just as it was formerly recorded. Two strong flavors stand out in the potion: darkness and exotism. On the dark side you'll find songs like "Luna Hiena", run by an ultra-bass trembling sound, like the siren of a ghost cruise ship crossing the sea through a foggy night, an up-tempo version "Luna De Hiel", the klezmer noir feeling of "Cracovia Afterdark" or "Berlin Ghost Opera", the collision of two Berliner spheres apparently opposed like opera and industrial music, Neubauten style. "Ruidos De Ultramar-Ultramarumori" could be the sound of a theremin combo formed by Kurt Weill, Tom Waits, and The Young Gods. On the sunny side, the influence of exotica music can be detected: the sound of "Hanalei Dawn" moves the listener to a gorgeous dawn at Hanalei beach (Kauai-Hawaii). "Sunny García" pays tribute to that great Hawaiian surf champion, whose not so sunny temperament took him to fight other surfers in the sea for the perfect wave. "Waikiki Spleen" recreates the strange melancholy of a tiki addict in his first trip to Honolulu. "Roll Li Ning Roll", built from some harmonized loops and an eastern flavored melody, is a tribute to popular '80s Chinese gymnast Li Ning, with loops and loops without risk of dizziness. "Noche De Fiesta En Urano" is a bizarre cosmic trip, the background was recorded in one take, the odd impression is the result of divide and pass the theremin sound through an old Moog Taurus II synthesizer and some parallel delays. Garson, Mort: Mother Earth's Plantasia LP  $26.99The Great Thunder present a reissue of Mort Garson's Mother Earth's Plantasia, originally released in 1976. Garson is well known as one of the pioneers of electronic music in the late '60s and some may have heard of his contributions to quite a few pop hits back in the day when he wrote and conducted orchestral arrangements for a few popular artists. During the second half of the 1960s, Mort Garson and his sidekicks Paul Beaver and Jacques Wilson among others, discovered the newly invented synthesizer courtesy of Robert Moog and made it an integral part of the future pop music even before Wendy Carlos released Switched On Bach in 1968. Plantasia was recorded and released a few years past Garson's monumental works: The Zodiac's Cosmic Sounds (1967), The Wozard Of Iz's An Electronic Odyssey (1968), and Lucifer's Black Mass (1971). Plantasia, originally released in 1976, has been labeled "warm earth music for plants . . . and the people who love them." So you as the listener can imagine that this is a rather bright affair, far from the dark and seething atmosphere of the earlier electronic pieces. A shining diversity of stylistic devices used as the foundation for dreamy and colorful compositions, which works like a soundtrack for a non-existent movie. The warm, yet haunting Moog melodies can still create a rather sinister vibe in their most playful and surreal moments, similar to what you would expect from a mid-seventies horror flicks from Italy. It is a feeling that, despite everything seeming peaceful and relaxed on the surface, something utterly dire is about to rise up. These are certainly just a few passages and when Mort Garson and his mates move on from lush orchestral soul arrangements to something white men always consider to be tribal music of the North American natives, you will drift with them from one scene of your inner mind movie to the next. At this point in the seventies, the technical requirements had already been a bit better with new inventions such as electronic percussion which gets used here and there, conjuring memories of records by German electronic pioneers from the same era, such as Cluster, Kraftwerk, and Tangerine Dream. And despite the twinkle-toed harmonies and big arrangements, which point at the big band music and orchestral pop Garson originated from, the whole work is futuristic and intriguing. Kitajima, Osamu: Masterless Samuri LP  $26.99Oom Dooby Dochas present a reissue of Osamu Kitajima's Masterless Samurai, originally released in 1980. A more world music and definitely a more progressive fusion rock approach is what defines Masterless Samurai, the second album by Japanese prog warrior Osamu Kitajima. On Masterless Samurai, he takes his vision of merging Japan's traditional music with progressive rock and jazz music of the west even one step further than he did with his previous albums. Excessive flute lines of Eastern origin, funky intricate grooves, and fiery synthesizer eruptions are the basic ingredients for most of these impressive instrumentals. The fusion elements are strong in this sound and all the exotic elements from Japanese classic music pull each song far out of the mass of similar acts emerging in the late '70s. Leave behind the Pink Floyd comparison and go for the Canterbury jazz-rock scene, with Caravan and Soft Machine as leading figures, and Osamu Kitajima definitely fits in between these giants due to his creative vision of a progressive world rock music. Don't take the rock elements as utterly physical heaviness; the album rocks but in a more delicate way. The sparkling lines of the electric piano can tell where this record goes. And even a rather gentle tune, like the instrumental ballad "Floating Garden", shows a wicked and progressive edge with expressive sax runs and cool twists and turns, despite the all-in-all relaxed atmosphere. Jaikishan, Shankar: Gumnaam LP  $26.99Twitchin' Beat Records present a reissue of Shankar Jaikishan's Gumnaam, originally released in 1965. This is the soundtrack to the classic 1965 Bollywood movie, of the same name, based on Agatha Christie's book And Then There Were None (1939). Originals in fine condition of the rare first Indian pressing score amazing prices among collectors of 1960s stage and screen music vinyl. It is exactly what you might expect from such a record: The musical elements span from classical Hindustani music, popular folk dances from India, lushly orchestrated screen music, exotica sounds, and the pop music of its era, with hints of country, Latin, surf, and swing. A colorful and all-over-the-place, joyful musical effort, featuring well-known vocalists such as Asha Bhosle, Lata Mangeshkar, and Mohammed Rafi. Despite the delicately entangled arrangements of the songs, there is always a cool vocal line and harmony to attach the corresponding tune to the listener. A very entertaining record if you have an ear for exotic pop and screen music. Also features: Sharda, Usha Mangeshkar, and Mehmood. Caretaker: Everywhere 2 LP  $26.99The second of six albums issued under the title Everywhere At The End Of Time, The Caretaker's fictional first person account of life with early onset dementia, takes a more wistful tack as our protagonist gradually realizes that all is not well and begins to rummage deeper into the recesses of his memory, masking emotions of grief, loss, fear, and uncertainty by deeper dwelling in the recesses of a decaying mind. As The Caretaker's short term memory functions begin to more rapidly erode, the loop-based punctuation of previous installments begin to subtly unravel, leading his mind to drift off and ponder fuller segments of tea dance strings and horns which appear uncannily more inviting, seductive, and now even more tangible than the abbreviated reels of earlier editions. Loop points wilt away in autumnal greys and russet rustles as new information becomes more difficult to process, back pedaling down memory lane toward an opaque smudge of half-forgotten/remembered spaces, places and un/familiar faces which provide more comfort and clarity than the world around him. It feels strange to recommend undergoing this experience, albeit in such an impressionistic and detached manner, but it somehow feels like a conversely enlightening one for these strange, disingenuous and unpredictable end times that we inhabit right now. Artwork by Ivan Seal. Mastered and cut by Lupo. Rahbek, L: City Of Women LP $22.99Editions Mego welcome Danish artist Loke Rahbek (Damien Dubrovnik, Croatian Amor, Posh Isolation) to the fold. Known for countless creative and commercial endeavors, Loke presents City Of Women, his first solo full-length under his own name. As with all of Loke's output, City Of Women harnesses the radical with the aesthetic in a manner of extreme pleasure for all who encounter. Harnessing his thorough knowledge and experience in extreme electronics, melodic encounters, and sultry showmanship, Loke ties together disparate threads of various underground movements to create a singular and deeply personal journey through industrial temptation, noise refraction, and melodic seduction. This is 21st century pop music. One which dismantles previous held borders of sound to present a wide palate of sound, song, abstraction, and intense emotion. Recorded throughout Europe; Assembled in Stockholm at EMS studios and in Copenhagen 2014-2016. Mixing assistance by Malthe Fischer, Copenhagen; Mastering by Bonati, New York; Cut at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin. Additional instrumentation by Anton Rothstein, Mikkel Reher Langberg, Alex Zhang Hungtai, Kristian Emdal, and Elias Bender Rønnenfelt. Artwork by Rahbek, Emdal, and Lukas Højlund. Pinhas/Heldon: Single Collection 1972-1980  2LP  $29.99RSD 2017 release. Double album compilation of the first singles (1972-1980) of Richard Pinhas and his legendary bands: the mythical Heldon, Schizo, and T.H.X.. And, as a bonus, an excellent long, hypnotic, instrumental version of "Marie Zorn" (1999), previously unpublished. Jute Gyte: The Sparrow 12"  $18.99Adam Kalmbach, the sole musician and producer behind Jute Gyte, is the most important musician in metal since Death's Chuck Schuldiner. Adam has crafted two side-long pieces. The first of these, "The Sparrow", is a kind of modernist black metal symphony that might share some signifiers with the despair-loaded blizzard hymns familiar to fans of Norwegian black metal. The second piece, "Monadanom", is from a suite of ambient microtonal guitar pieces that Adam has been incubating for us since early 2014. It is oceanic, not in the usual new agey sense most often applied to ambient music. VASwingin' Dick's Shellac Shakers Vol. 1+2: Hot Jive, Jumpin' Jazz & Big Band R&B 78s CD  $16.99Inspired by the beat of the big band and the swingin' hot rhythms of the '30s and '40s.... This collection of swing comes from the vaults of "Swingin' Dick's 78 Social". Renown the world over as "The Original Gramophone Operative", Swingin' Dick shares his collection of shellac shaking phonographic 78rpm records for your edification. Join the enigmatic Dick as he spins his unique brand of hot jive and R&B swing! Swingin' Dick's Shellac Shakers Vol. 1 + 2 of 78s will have you jumpin' and jitterbugging to the sounds of a bygone era, in all its gramophonic glory. Features: Horace Henderson & His Orchestra, Mezzrow-Ladnier Quintet, Fats Waller, Stuff Smith & His Onyx Club Orchestra, Charlie Barnet & His Orchestra, Rex Stewart's Big Eight, Slim Gaillard, Count Basie & His Orchestra, Jay McShann & His Orchestra, Woody Herman, The Harlem Hamfats, Sidney Bechet & His New Orleans Feetwarmers, Albert Ammons, Cab Calloway & His Orchestra, Gene Krupa & His Orchestra, Roy Eldridge & His Orchestra, Oran "Hot Lips" Page & His Band, Erskine Hawkins & His Orchestra, and Lucky Millinder & His Orchestra. Bacalov, L: La Seduzione LP  $33.99Sonor Music Editions present a reissue of La Seduzione, originally released in 1973. An Italian soundtrack holy grail and one of the most highly regarded scores by the majestic Oscar Award winning maestro Luis Enriquez Bacalov. This is the original soundtrack for the drama/erotic film of the same name directed by Fernando Di Leo and shot in beautiful Sicily, Italy. The music on La Seduzione totally destroys all his soundtrack productions with a big orchestra selection, featuring some of the best Italian grooves ever - terrific funk beats, mind-melting scats, Brazilian influenced music with loads of dope exotic vibes. A gigantic Italian music masterpiece finally available for the joy of collectors. Features compositions by I Ninhos Pega ("Tucumania" and "Pinha Tamburim") and Rosa Balistreri ("Mi Votu E Mi Rivotu"). 180 gram vinyl; Edition of 500. VA: Guitar Golden Triangle 2LP  $32.99RSD 2017 release. Limited double LP vinyl gatefold edition of the long out-of-print CD from 2005 compiled by Alan Bishop. Never before presented or heard outside a minority of the Burmese community, this unbelievable collection of raw garage rock, psychedelia, folk, blues, and country music is a product of Shan and Pa'o musicians hailing from Myanmar's largest province of Shan State - an area larger than the entire state of New York expanding across sub-tropic tablelands with an average elevation of 3000 feet, perfect for the cultivation of poppies for which it is very well known (in fact and fiction) as the center of the "Golden Triangle". Discover the music of Lashio Thein Aung (AKA "Jimmy Jack" and the "Burmese Texan"), Khun Paw Yann (a "Black Shan" Pa'o rocker), and Saing Saing Maw - the original Shan legend who wrote and sang garage psych rock songs, backed by a tight unit of organ, bass, drums, and perhaps the most stinging electric guitar in Burmese history. There is little reliable information about these mysterious pioneers and many Burmese have never heard any of these tracks. The tracks on this double LP set are from the 1970s and 1980s and are almost impossible to find in any form or quality. They were transferred directly from old cassette tapes and a few cuts have dropouts (some of them quite severe). Most of the master tapes are thought to have been lost or destroyed many years ago so these recordings may be the only link to a phenomenal and forgotten era of Southeast Asian music history and therefore essential for anyone interested in folk, rock and pop styles from lesser-known regions of the globe. Also features: Khun Kan Chwain, Khun Kaung Kay Maung, Nan Phin Sar, and Khun Hla Maung Law. VAFunction Underground: The Black & Brown American Rock Sound 1969-1974 CD  $18.99"The CD includes a 24-page booklet with extensive notes on an overlooked and important portion of rock n' roll's history. Nearly everyone in the world can rattle off the great African-American musical forms. Jazz, blues, R&B, soul, hip-hop, house, gospel. One influential genre is always left off of the list: a folk music known as rock n' roll. Rock n' roll was a term originally coined to market the white-friendly version of a genre that already existed; prior to 1965, the line between rock n' roll and R&B was thin: Ike Turner recorded and released 'Rocket '88' ' in 1951 and, while its Chess Records release reached number one on the Billboard R&B chart, it is regarded by many as the first rock n' roll record. The Great Divide between R&B and rock n' roll came after the Beatles and the British Invasion decimated the Top 40 chart in 1964. Simultaneously, R&B entered a new phase, soon to be labeled 'soul,' which upped the music's gospel quotient and turned its frantic twang. So somewhere in the mid to late-1960s, rock n' roll became perceived as something for the Caucasian kids. When Jimi Hendrix and Arthur Lee made the scene, they were said to be black musicians entering into a white world. While that couldn't be farther from the truth, that false dichotomy has existed in America's popular conscious ever since, to the point where the idea of a black rock musician is on the level with the idea of a black cowboy. In the mid-1960s, funk replaced soul as the rhythm that was going to move the world. We know all its progenitor - James Brown, The Meters, Kool & The Gang - and their innovations: the syncopated, 4/4 dance between the bass and drums, horns repurposed as percussion, chicken-scratch and wah-wah guitar. We can trace where they came from. But there is one crucial funk influence that no one seems to want to acknowledge -- a devil-may-care attitude we can attribute to rock n' roll. It's not a stretch to say that funk is the African-American answer to psychedelia and hard rock rolled into one. The idea of 'progressivism' that took over rock music after psychedelia's heyday in the late 1960s belatedly spilled over to funk. In the early 1970s, as the underground/psychedelic fire burnt out in the white rock world, it roared to a blaze in the black musical community. Nearly every American city with a large black population boasted self-contained funk bands that didn't consider themselves simply revues or backup groups, but rather fully-operational ensembles. In these bands, everything from composing, arranging, record production and distribution, was handled in house by band members. These are the bands whose music comprises this anthology, and while they're all different, they're unique in one way: they kept their ears open for new developments in funk and rock music. This anthology presents earnest questions as to why we know so little about these bands and the movement of which they were a part. While we don't anticipate that we'll ever find a definitive answer as to what these ensembles' true goals were, then, we do know that they took their charges seriously. And they knew they were onto something different, something that, though only they and their immediate kin might recognize it, was more interesting than the status quo. Function Underground shines light on an important and overlooked part of rock n' roll's history and talented ensembles that toiled in the shadows, derided by their peers 'Do you realize that Hendrix was dead before most black people in America knew he was a black man?' Ebony Rhythm Band drummer Matthew Watson questions rhetorically. 'We was scorned. In that era, everybody else in the black community was wearing three-piece suits, processes and Afro wigs and that shit. We was the first guys to wear bell bottoms. The first guys to wear big hats. We were off into a whole other thing.' "( ...show less... ) The Creation 'Action Painting' 2xCD+Book $27.99The Creation 'Action Painting' 2xLP+Book $28.99Biff! A violin bow scrapes across the strings of a guitarBang! The hiss of a an aerosol can releases paint on to canvasPow! As the violin bow pierces the canvas.Presented here for the first time are the complete Creation studio recordings. All 42 tracks (CD version) have been remastered from the original tapes by Shel Talmy, and given fresh stereo mixes where previously unavailable. New essays by Dean Rudland and Alec Palao tell the band's story and dive into their complete studio sessions. Scores of previously unpublished photographs adorn the accompanying 80 page hard bound book (CD version). We've rounded the whole package out with four tracks by pre-Creation freakbeat quartet the Mark Four, making Action Painting the definitive collection of this legendary UK band. Pharmakon 'Contact (Black & Cream Vinyl)' LP $18.99In trance states, music and the body are used to transcend the physical form and make contact with some outside force. Chardiet decided to structure the compositions of each side of Contact after the stages of trance: preparation, onset, climax, and resolution. Doug Tuttle 'Peace Potato' CD $13.99Doug Tuttle 'Peace Potato (Clear Vinyl)' LP $17.99Massachusetts songwriter Doug Tuttle returns with his third solo album, "Peace Potato", once again on Chicago label Trouble In Mind Records. His 2013 solo debut (after fronting his longtime psychedelic band, MMOSS) was an insular and foggy psychedelic masterpiece punctuated by Tuttle's stinging guitar leads, accented by flashes of bedroom Fairport /Crazy Horse brilliance, towing the line nimbly between elegance and ragged assurance. We last saw Tuttle on "It Calls On Me", his 2015 sophomore album, which pushed his songwriting towards further clarity and melody "Peace Potato" shakes it all down with Tuttle's strongest batch of songs yet. "Peace Potato" introduces itself with the horn-laden, honeydripper,"Bait The Sun", a classic Tuttle tune; downer pop melodies coloring a hypnagogic landscape. It is indeed that state of lucid dreaming, somewhere between the onset of sleep is where Tuttle firmly plants the seeds of "Peace Potato". Songs stutter to life and grind to a halt, to calculated effect, stitched together into a patchwork of full tunes, song fragments and waves of melodic euphoria.Throughout all, Tuttle's guitar picking and soloing echoes the greats of decades prior, Harrison, Thompson, Clarence White, with a conscious eye to the unsung bedroom and basement weird pop genius of sung and unsung artists like Harumi, Sixth Station, The Bachs and Jim Sullivan. Tuttle played every instrument and recorded the entirety of "Peace Potato" in his Somerville bedroom studio; a ubiquitous location in these modern times, but the ease at which Tuttle's songs fold and unfold, suggests something more than your usual home-recorded musings."Peace Potato" is released on black (and limited color) vinyl, compact disc and available via all the usual digital platforms. RAYS 'RAYS (Yellow Vinyl)' LP $17.99On RAYS' debut album the band spins eleven tunes of wiry, urgent post-punk, one foot planted firmly in the nihilistic apathy of 70 & 80's punk (Wire, Electric Eels, Pere Ubu, Eno, Television The Fall), Australian punk past & present (UV Race, Terry, Victims, Babeez), and the addictive strum of 80's & 90's New Zealand/Flying Nun pop; all of whom have found their own way to meld the ferocity & thuggery of punk with a singular melodic voice. RAYS are no different; the swirling jangle of "Attic" starts the album off, sardonically extolling the joy of 'attic life' with Hannan's monotone conveying an underlying sense of dread & isolation. "Dead Man's Curve", with it's hook-filled, organ-laden chorus plays like a lost teenage tragedy song, celebrating the desperation & angst of reckless youth. Smith, Elliott - Either/Or: Expanded Edition (Vinyl)                $28.99 Either/Or is widely regarded as Elliott’s best album, and remains his best-selling. To commemorate the 20th Anniversary of this masterpiece, Kill Rock Stars proudly presents Either/Or: Expanded Edition. This album features the original tracks carefully remastered from original tapes under the supervision of Larry Crane, owner of Jackpot! Studios and archivist of the Estate of Elliott Smith. The additional content features five live multi-track recordings from the Yo Yo A Go Go Festival in Olympia WA in 1997, as well as three previously unreleased studio recordings and one b-side gem. The double LP is packaged in a gatefold jacket that includes an insert of the original liner notes, a postcard of the original master tapes, and several never-before seen photos. This gorgeous collection is an essential listen for longtime fans and newcomers alike. Bardo Pond - Under The Pines (Vinyl)                $28.99 So complex and substance-affected was their evolution, Bardo Pond have been creating their dreamy riffs for 26 years alongside a myriad of side projects and their prolific Record Store Day releases. Returning with a career defining album, ‘Under The Pines’ sees them delve into the subconscious with their transcending cosmic post-rock. Over 41 minutes The Pond’s fermentation, their languid throb and textured groove (flute, violin, Isobel Sollenberger’s haunting vocals) sounds like cathartic dream pop wrapped in a delicately constructed barbwire shroud. “Playing fuzzed out stuff of stoner dreams since the mid ‘90s,” (thanks Pitchfork) and beyond the mentions of free jazz, the avant garde, Sun Ra and The Book Of The Dead, Bardo Pond’s remarkable career and exemplary output has seen them gain fans from all corners of the pond. In 2010 Lou Reed and his wife Laurie Anderson invited them to perform at the Vivid festival they curated at the Sydney Opera House, not forgetting they were recently handpicked to support Jesus & Mary Chain at London’s Roundhouse as part of Mogwai’s 20th Anniversary and Stewart Lee chose them for the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival which he curated just last year. Hailed for their space rock, drone, shoegaze, noise and/or psychedelia, and in a super lengthy interview in Ptolemaic Terrascope enthused (back in 2001) that they were somewhere between John Cage’s silence on 4’33 and Japanese noisenik Merzbow’s total ear splitting cacophony. One of their finest albums to date and nearly three decades on, Bardo Pond are in it for the long haul and remain one of the most significant underground rock bands of our time. Children of Alice - Children of Alice $26.99 Children of Alice have been quietly producing amorphous and intoxicating soundscapes as part of the Folklore Tapes collec- tive for a number of years now, beginning in 2013 with Harbin- ger of Spring on the shared Ornithology release. This poetic conjuration of rebirth and new growth was the first unfurling of post-Broadcast creation from James Cargill, one half of the personal and artistic relationship at the heart of that epochal and increasingly feted band. The name Children of Alice was chosen as an act of tribute to the late Trish Keenan, for whom Alice in Wonderland and in particular Jonathan Miller’s sum- merhazy 60s idyll of an adaptation, was a presiding inspiration. The name invokes her abiding spirit and also creates a sense of continuity with the evolving Broadcast soundworld, which became more concentrated and individual as it refined itself and adapted to new configurations. The group (or perhaps we should call them a collaborative triad, since they occupy island territory far removed from the familiar shores of rock, though still keeping it in vision on the far horizon) consists of Cargill along with his former bandmate Roj Stevens (who played keyboards in Broadcast) and Julian House, co-founder of Ghost Box records, whose distinctive graphic design work also gives the label its signature look, and hidden prestidigitator behind The Focus Group.This LP brings together their entire output to date, on their first widely available release. Trinosophes upcoming shows Coming Soon5/4: The Real Diptopia (with Doc Waffles and Eddie Logix)5/5  Dave Rempis solo and with guests, Molly Jones record release show5/22: Elgar Trio5/24: Cinema Lamont presents a film screening of "Cinema Nuevo" (Brazil) Related 5/6: Chatoyant at Robinwood Concerthouse, Toledo, OH5/8: Chatoyant at Satellite Records, Kalamazoo, MI 5/9: Chatoyant  at ACLU benefit fundraiser- Chicago5/10: Chatoyant at Independent Media Center- Champaign IL5/11: Chatoyant at Dream Theater- Louisville, KY5.13: Chatoyant in Columbus, OH5/26 Viands at Trip Metal Fest EL CLUB UPCOMING SHOWS  (most shows all ages - ticket will say all ages or not)remember - tickets are cash only. this saves us all the service charges!! detroit cobras sat may 6th $15.00red kross wed may 10th $15.00southern culture on the skids thurs may 11th $15.00north mississippi allstars wed may 17th $20.00tim kasher wed june 7th $12.00 MARBLE BAR (all shows 18 and over) kikagaku moyo thurs may 11th $10.00pile friday may 12th $10.00mary timony plays helium wed june 14th $16.00 UFO FACTORY   (all shows 18 and over)mega bog, tasseomarcy wed may 10th $10.00she-devils sat june 3rd $10.00!!! (chk chk chk) friday june 16th $16.00

[suerusselldj]

The Pitchfork Guide to Upcoming Albums: Spring 2017

Spoil me - I'm a DJ and I'm cute!

Welcome once again to the Pitchfork Guide to Upcoming Releases, our seasonal guide to new music. Four times a year, we round up a list of albums, singles, EPs, reissues, and more arriving in the coming months. This installment covers spring 2017, starting with this Friday, April 7. (Please note that release dates may change.) To start things off, we’ve highlighted a few particularly notable releases, including albums by Kendrick Lamar, Gorillaz, Lana Del Rey, Father John Misty, Fleet Foxes, Lorde, and others. For more about the releases we’re most excited for in 2017, check out our feature from the beginning of the year.

Arca: Arca (April 7, XL Recordings)

The new self-titled album from producer Alejandro Ghersi under his Arca alias is the follow-up to his his 2015 album Mutant and 2016 project Entrañas. It includes the recently released songs “Piel,” “Anoche,” and “Reverie,” and features Arca stepping out in front of the microphone for the first time, singing exclusively in Spanish. 

Father John Misty: Pure Comedy (April 7, Sub Pop)

The irreverent Josh Tillman returns in full force with Pure Comedy, his newest studio album under the Father John Misty name. The announcement of the 75-minute LP came with a 25-minute making-of documentary filmed during the album’s recording as well as a nearly-2000 word explanation. It features a 13-minute song called “Leaving LA,” plus a track that begins with a line about virtual reality sex with Taylor Swift. Read our extensive new interview with Father John Misty here.

Future Islands: The Far Field (April 7, 4AD)

Synth-pop trio Future Islands are set to release their latest album The Far Field, following the breakout success they found on 2014’s Singles. It includes “Ran” and “Cave,” was produced by John Congleton, and includes a guest appearance by Blondie’s Debbie Harry.

Kendrick Lamar: TBA (April 7 [probably], Top Dawg Entertainment)

Ever since the release of To Pimp a Butterfly in 2015, fans have been waiting with bated breath for details on a new album from Kendrick Lamar. Last year, the rapper followed up with a collection of outtakes and demos, untitled unmastered. On his recent track “The Heart Part 4,” Kendrick teased a date in his final verse: “Y'all got ’til April the 7th to get your shit together,” but it hasn't been confirmed if the album will, in fact, be released this Friday. He also released the Mike WiLL Made-It-produced “Humble.” Read our rundown of what Kendrick has been up to since his last album.

Feist: Pleasure (April 28, Universal)

Pleasure marks singer-songwriter Leslie Feist’s first new full-length record in over half a decade. Produced by Feist alongside Mocky and Renaud Letang, the album was recorded “without guile or go-to’s,” the goal being “to pin the songs down with conviction and our straight up human bodies,” according to Feist. She’s thus far released one song, the album’s title track. 

Gorillaz: Humanz (April 28, Parlophone/Warner Bros.)

Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett have finally gotten the animated band back together. Humanz features a massive all-star cast, including Vince Staples, Savages’ Jehnny Beth, Noel Gallagher, Grace Jones, Popcaan, D.R.A.M., Mavis Staples, Danny Brown, De La Soul, Pusha T, Kali Uchis, Kelela, and others. It was recorded in London, Paris, New York, Chicago, and Jamaica and produced by Gorillaz, the Twilite Tone of D /\ P, and Remi Kabaka. The album’s announcement was accompanied by four brand new songs as well as a performance of the entire thing in London.

Mac DeMarco: This Old Dog (May 5, Captured Tracks)

Mac is back with the follow-up to 2015’s mini-album Another One and 2014’s regular-album Salad Days. DeMarco recorded the album after he moved to Los Angeles from Queens. “The majority of this album is acoustic guitar, synthesizer, some drum machine, and one song is electric guitar,” he said in a statement. “So this is a new thing for me.” The album’s announcement was accompanied by two new songs: “My Old Man” and “This Old Dog.” Read Pitchfork’s interview with DeMarco about the new album.

Perfume Genius: No Shape (May 5, Matador)

Mike Hadreas has announced the follow-up to his excellent 2014 album Too Bright. His fourth Perfume Genius album features the new single “Slip Away,” as well as the Weyes Blood-featuring track “Sides.” “I think a lot of [these songs] are about trying to be happy in the face of whatever bullshit I created for myself or how horrible everything and everyone is,” he said in a statement. Hadreas will tour this year alongside serpentwithfeet. 

Slowdive: Slowdive (May 5, Dead Oceans)

The shoegaze originals return 22 years later with Slowdive, their self-titled follow-up to 1995’s Pygmalion. Despite the lengthy gap, the band’s principal songwriter, Neil Halstead, said, “When you’re in a band and you do three records, there’s a continuous flow and a development. For us, that flow re-started with us playing live again and that has continued into the record.” So far, we’ve heard “Star Roving” and “Sugar for the Pill.”

Girlpool: Powerplant (May 12, Anti-)

Girlpool are back with the follow-up to Before the World Was Big, their debut. Powerplant, which has been preceded by “123” and its gruesome video, sees them step up to Epitaph sister-label Anti-. Catch them on tour behind the record.

Planetarium (Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly, James McAlister): Planetarium [June 9, 4AD]

Back in 2011, Nico Muhly, the National’s Bryce Dessner, percussionist James McAlister, and Sufjan Stevens set out on a project that would encompass the breadth of the solar system. The resulting album, Planetarium, will finally be released in June. The record, led by Sufjan’s voice, features songs about “Halley’s Comet,” “Black Hole,” and “Mars”—as well as the previously released “Saturn.”

Fleet Foxes: Crack-Up [June 16, Nonesuch]

Fleet Foxes’ long-awaited follow-up to Helplessness Blues follows a six-year disappearance in which songwriter Robin Pecknold studied at Columbia University. The first single, a nine-minute epic called “Third of May / Ōdaigahara,” addresses Pecknold’s relationship with bandmate Skyler Skjelset—“the feeling of having an unresolved, unrequited relationship that is lingering psychologically,” Pecknold told Pitchfork. Read more about the album in the full interview, and see their upcoming tour dates.

Lorde: Melodrama [June 16, LAVA/Republic]

Lorde returns with her highly anticipated sophomore album, following 2013’s Pure Heroine. It includes her new single “Green Light,” which details her “first major heartbreak,” as well as the stark piano ballad “Liability.” Lorde performed both tracks on “SNL” earlier this year. The album was produced with Jack Antonoff.

Vince Staples: TBA [Def Jam]

Vince Staples’ upcoming album is the follow-up to 2015’s Summertime ’06 and last year’s Prima Donna EP. Earlier this year, he released the new song “BagBak” and announced that VIP packages for his Life Aquatic Tour would include a free copy of the upcoming record. Staples also collaborated with Gorillaz on “Ascension,” from their upcoming album Humanz.

Lana Del Rey: Lust for Life [Polydor/Interscope]

Lana Del Rey announced her new album Lust for Life with a wonderfully mysterious black-and-white clip that found her wondering aloud, “What shall I cook up for the kids today?”. The first taste of her upcoming Honeymoon follow-up arrived with “Love,” a new single released earlier this year. The album will also likely include a collaboration with the Weeknd, following her appearances on “Party Monster” and “Stargirl Interlude” from his 2016 release Starboy. 

LCD Soundsystem: TBA [Columbia]

It’s been seven years since LCD Soundsystem released This Is Happening, their excellent third album. In the time since, the group disbanded, reformed, and embarked on a reunion tour. (They will headline Pitchfork Music Festival this summer). In early 2016, the band announced that they had signed to Columbia Records, with plans to release new music, but nothing has materialized yet. James Murphy offered an update on the album this January, saying he was “still working” on it, but “winter tends to mess with [his] voice.” Hopefully, the warmer weather will bring new LCD Soundsystem music with it.

April:

04-07

Allan Kingdom: Lines [So Cold/Empire]

Allred & Broderick: Find the Ways [Erased Tapes]

Annie Hardy: Rules [Full Psycho/American Primitive]

Anthony Naples: Us Mix EP [Proibito]

Arca: Arca [XL]

Aye Nako: Silver Haze [Don Giovanni]

CFM: Dichotomy Desaturated [In The Red]

The Chainsmokers: Memories...Do Not Open [Disruptor/Columbia]

Clark: Death Peak [Warp] 

Cold Beat: Chaos by Invitation [Crime on the Moon]

Cory Branan: Adios [Bloodshot]

Diet Cig: Swear I’m Good At This [Frenchkiss]

Ecstatic Vision: Raw Rock Fury [Relapse]

Father John Misty: Pure Comedy [Sub Pop]

Fuoco Fatuo: Backwater [Profound Lore]

Fujiya & Miyagi: Fujiya & Miyagi [self-released]

Future Islands: The Far Field [4AD]

Guided by Voices: August by Cake [Rockathon]

Joey Bada$$: ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$ [Pro Era/Cinematic Music Group]

Karen Elson: Double Roses [H.O.T.]

Lil Ugly Mane: Mista Thug Isolation [Hundebiss] [reissue]

Michelle Branch: Hopeless Romantic [Verve]

The New Pornographers: Whiteout Conditions [Collected Work/Concord]

Sam Gellaitry: Escapism III [XL]

San Fermin: Belong [Downtown/Interscope]

Soundwalk Collective: Before Music There Is Blood [Apollo]

Sweet Spirit: St. Mojo [Nine Mile]

Timber Timbre: Sincerely, Future Pollution [Arts & Crafts/City Slang]

Vanbot: Siberia [Lisch Recordings]

Various Artists: Resistance Radio: The Man in the High Castle Album [30th Century]

White Reaper: The World’s Best American Band [Polyvinyl]

04-14

Actress: AZD [Ninja Tune]

Fionn Regan: The Meetings of the Waters [Abbey]

John Mayer: The Search for Everything [Columbia]

Little Dragon: Season High [Loma Vista]

Mary Lattimore: Collected Pieces [Ghostly] [compilation]

Sam Outlaw: Tenderheart [Six Shooter]

Talib Kweli & Styles P: The Seven [Javotti Media/3D]

04-21

Artificial Brain: Infrared Horizon [Profound Lore]

The Black Angels: Death Song [Partisan]

Charly Bliss: Guppy [Barsuk]

Foreseen: Grave Danger [20 Buck Spin]

GAS: NARKOPOP [Kompakt]

Ghosts: Crash Ensemble [Bedroom Community]

Harriet Brown: CONTACT [Innovative Leisure]

Hisato Higuchi: Kietsuzukeru Echo [Root Strata]

J Dilla: Motor City [Dillatronic]

Joe Goddard: Electric Lines [Greco-Roman/Domino]

Kamaiyah: Don’t Get It Twisted [self-released]

Mr. Mitch: Devout [Planet Mu]

Ray Davies: Americana [Legacy]

Real Life Buildings: Significant Weather [Lauren]

Robyn Hitchcock: Robyn Hitchcock [Yep Roc]

Tara Jane O’Neil: Tara Jane O’Neil [Gnomonsong]

Valgeir Sigurðsson: Dissonance [Bedroom Community]

Vampire: With Primeval Force [Century Media]

Various Artists: Thank You, Friends: Big Star’s Third Live... And More [Concord Bicycle]

Woods: Love Is Love [Woodsist]

04-22

RECORD STORE DAY: See list of releases here

04-28

ANAMAI (Egyptrixx & Anna Mayberry): What Mountain [Halocline Trance]

BNQT: Volume 1 [Dualtone/Bella Union]

Colin Stetson: All This I Do For Glory [self-released]

The Cranberries: Something Else [BMG]

Feist: Pleasure [Universal]

Gorillaz: Humanz [Parlophone/Warner Bros]

John Mellencamp: Sad Clowns & Hillbillies [Republic]

Juliana Hatfield: Pussycat [American Laundromat]

Lone: Ambivert Tools Vol. 1 [R&S]

Mark Lanegan Band: Gargoyle [Heavenly]

Mary J. Blige: Strength of a Woman [Capitol]

Mew: Visuals [Play It Again Sam]

The New Year: Snow [Undertow]

Ryuichi Sakamoto: async [Milan]

Shugo Tokumaru: Toss [Polyvinyl]

Sophia Kennedy: Sophia Kennedy [Pampa]

Sufjan Stevens: Carrie & Lowell Live [Asthmatic Kitty]

Swans: The Great Annihilator [Young God/Mute] [reissue]

Sylvan Esso: What Now [Loma Vista]

Thurston Moore: Rock n Roll Consciousness [Caroline International]

WALL: Untitled [Wharf Cat]

Willie Nelson: God’s Problem Child [Legacy]

May:

05-05

The Afghan Whigs: In Spades [Sub Pop]

Alice Coltrane: World Spirituality Classics 1 - The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda [Luka Bop] [reissue]

At the Drive In:  in•ter a•li•a [Rise]

Big Walnuts Yonder: Big Walnuts Yonder [Sargent House]

Bill MacKay: Esker [Drag City]

Black Lips: Satan’s graffiti or God’s art [Vice]

Blondie: Pollinator [BMG]

Bonnie “Prince” Billy: Best Troubador [Drag City]

Brother Ali: All the Beauty in This Whole World [Rhymesayers]

Forest Swords: Compassion [Ninja Tune]

Full of Hell: Trumpeting Ecstasy [Profound Lore]

The Grateful Dead: May 1977: Get Shown the Light [Rhino]

Hoops: Routines [Fat Possum]

Ian William Craig: Slow Vessels EP [Fat Cat]

Jesu/Sun Kil Moon: 30 Seconds to the Decline of Planet Earth [Caldo Verde]

Joan Shelley: Joan Shelley [No Quarter]

John Moreland: Big Bad Luv [4AD]

Juana Molina: Halo [Crammed Discs]

Logic: Everybody [Visionary Music Group/Def Jam]

Mac DeMarco: This Old Dog [Captured Tracks]

Moon Duo: Occult Architecture Vol. 2 [Sacred Bones]

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Lovely Creatures: The Best of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds 1984-2014 [Mute]

Nightlands: I Can Feel the Night Around Me [Western Vinyl]

Niia: I [Atlantic]

Nite Jewel: Real High [Gloriette]

Penguin Café: The Imperfect Sea [Erased Tapes]

Perfume Genius: No Shape [Matador]

Pond: The Weather [Marathon Artists]

Robin Trower: Time and Emotion [V-12]

Slowdive: Slowdive [Dead Oceans]

Tall Juan: Olden Goldies [BUFU]

Tiny Vipers: Laughter [Ba Da Bing]

Walter Martin: My Kinda Music [Family Jukebox]

05-12

Eyedress: Manila Ice [Lex]

Girlpool: Powerplant [Anti-]

PWR BTTM: Pageant [Polyvinyl]

Slackk: A Little Light [R&S]

Todd Rundgren: White Knight [Cleopatra]

Various Artist: The Bob’s Burgers Music Album [Sub Pop]

Will Stratton: Rosewood Almanac [Bella Union]

05-19

!!!: Shake the Shudder [Warp]

Alex G: Rocket [Domino]

Coldcut x On-U Sound: Outside the Echo Chamber [Ahead of Our Time]

Demen: Nektyr [Kranky]

Do Make Say Think: Stubborn Persistent Illusions [Constellation]

Faith Evans/The Notorious B.I.G.: The King & I [Rhino]

George Michael: Listen Without Prejudice/MTV Unplugged [Legacy] [reissue]

Heather Trost: Agistri [LM Dupli-cation]

Helium: The Dirt of Luck/The Magic City/Ends With And [Matador] [reissue]

Jlin: Black Origami [Planet Mu]

Land of Talk: Life After Youth [Saddle Creek]

Lord RAJA: Amadeus EP [Ghostly International]

Loss: Horizonless [Profound Lore]

Man Forever: Play What They Want [Thrill Jockey]

The Mountain Goats: Goths [Merge]

The Radiophonic Workshop: Burials in Several Earths [Room 13]

Roger Waters: Is This the Life We Really Want? [TBA]

Sam Amidon: The Following Mountain [Nonesuch]

She-Devils: She-Devils [Secretly Canadian]

Tigers Jaw: Spin [Black Cement]

T.RAUMSCHMIERE: Heimat

Wavves: You’re Welcome [Ghost Ramp]

05-26

The Charlatans: Different Days [BMG]

Justin Townes Earle: Kids in the Street [New West]

Martin Rev: Demolition 9 [Atlas Réalisations]

New Order: NOMC15 [Mute]

June:

06-02

Alt-J: Relaxer [Canvasback Music]

Beach Fossils: Somersault [Bayonet]

Benjamin Booker: Witness [ATO]

Chastity Belt: I Used to Spend So Much Time Alone [Hardly Art]

Coldplay: Kaleidoscope EP [Parlophone]

Dan Auerbach: Waiting on a Song [Easy Eye Sound]

Kacey Johansing: The Hiding [Night Bloom]

Marika Hackman: I’m Not Your Man [Sub Pop]

Mavis Staples: I’ll Take You There—An All-Star Concert Celebration [Blackbird Presents]

Pixx: The Age of Anxiety [4AD]

Saint Etienne: Home Countries [Heavenly]

TOPS: Sugar at the Gate [Arbutus]

U2: The Joshua Tree [30th Anniversary Edition] [Interscope] [reissue]

Whitney: You’ve Got a Woman/Gonna Hurry (As Slow As I Can) [Secretly Canadian] [12” single]

06-09

Agent Blå: Agent Blue [Kanine/Luxury]

Cigarettes After Sex: Cigarettes After Sex [Partisan]

Planetarium (Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly, James McAlister): Planetarium [4AD]

06-16

B Boys: Dada [Captured Tracks]

Chuck Berry: Chuck [Dualtone]

The Drums: “Abysmal Thoughts” [Anti-]

Fleet Foxes: Crack-Up [Nonesuch]

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit: The Nashville Sound [Southeastern]

Kevin Morby: City Music [Dead Oceans]

Lorde: Melodrama [Republic/Lava]

Michael Nau: Some Twist [Suicide Squeeze]

Ride: Weather Diaries [Wichita]

Royal Trux: Platinum Tips + Ice Cream [Drag City]

06-23

Banditos: Visionland [Bloodshot]

TBA

Alice Glass: TBA [TBA]

Amber Coffman: City of No Reply [Columbia]

Arcade Fire: TBA [TBA]

Beck: TBA [Capitol]

Bleachers: TBA [RCA]

Cashmere Cat: 9 [Mad Love/Interscope]

Chic: It’s About Time [TBA]

Chromatics: Dear Tommy [Italians Do It Better]

CyHi the Prynce: No Dope on Sundays [Brooklyn Knights/Sony RAL]

Danzig: Black Laden Crown [Evilive/Nuclear Blast]

Earl Sweatshirt: TBA [TBA]

Fischerscpooner: SIR [TBA]

Grizzly Bear: TBA [TBA]

GZA: Dark Matter [TBA]

Haim: TBA [TBA]

Halsey: Hopeless Fountain Kingdom [Astralwerks]

The I.L.Y’s: Bodyguard [TBA]

Kane Strang: TBA [Dead Oceans]

Katy Perry: TBA [Capitol]

Kelela: TBA [TBA]

King Krule: TBA [TBA]

Kendrick Lamar: TBA [Top Dawg Entertainment]

The Killers: TBA [TBA]

Lana Del Rey: Lust for Life [Interscope/Polydor]

LCD Soundsystem: TBA [Columbia]

Lil B: Black Ken [self-released]

Major Lazer: TBA [TBA]

Post Malone: Beer Bongs & Bentleys [Republic]

Queens of the Stone Age: TBA [TBA]

Sky Ferreira: Masochism [TBA]

SZA: CTRL [TDE]

Vampire Weekend: Mitsubishi Macchiato [TBA]

Vince Staples: TBA [Def Jam]

Wolf Parade: TBA [TBA]

Zack de la Rocha: TBA [TBA]

[Read More ...]

IN MY Dreams

[ricardosousalemos]

The Pitchfork Guide to Upcoming Albums: Spring 2017

Welcome once again to the Pitchfork Guide to Upcoming Releases, our seasonal guide to new music. Four times a year, we round up a list of albums, singles, EPs, reissues, and more arriving in the coming months. This installment covers winter 2017, starting with this Friday, April 7. (Please note that release dates may change.) To start things off, we’ve highlighted a few particularly notable releases, including albums by Kendrick Lamar, Gorillaz, Lana Del Rey, Father John Misty, Fleet Foxes, Lorde, and others. For more about the releases we’re most excited for in 2017, check out our feature from the beginning of the year.

Arca: Arca (April 7, XL Recordings)

The new self-titled album from producer Alejandro Ghersi under his Arca alias is the follow-up to his his 2015 album Mutant and 2016 project Entrañas. It includes the recently released songs “Piel,” “Anoche,” and “Reverie,” and features Arca stepping out in front of the microphone for the first time, singing exclusively in Spanish. 

Father John Misty: Pure Comedy (April 7, Sub Pop)

The irreverent Josh Tillman returns in full force with Pure Comedy, his newest studio album under the Father John Misty name. The announcement of the 75-minute LP came with a 25-minute making-of documentary filmed during the album’s recording as well as a nearly-2000 word explanation. It features a 13-minute song called “Leaving LA,” plus a track that begins with a line about virtual reality sex with Taylor Swift. Read our extensive new interview with Father John Misty here.

Future Islands: The Far Field (April 7, 4AD)

Synth-pop trio Future Islands are set to release their latest album The Far Field, following the breakout success they found on 2014’s Singles. It includes “Ran” and “Cave,” was produced by John Congleton, and includes a guest appearance by Blondie’s Debbie Harry.

Kendrick Lamar: TBA (April 7 [probably], Top Dawg Entertainment)

Ever since the release of To Pimp a Butterfly in 2015, fans have been waiting with bated breath for details on a new album from Kendrick Lamar. Last year, the rapper followed up with a collection of outtakes and demos, untitled unmastered. On his recent track “The Heart Part 4,” Kendrick teased a date in his final verse: “Y'all got ’til April the 7th to get your shit together,” but it hasn't been confirmed if the album will, in fact, be released this Friday. He also released the Mike WiLL Made-It-produced “Humble.” Read our rundown of what Kendrick has been up to since his last album.

Feist: Pleasure (April 28, Universal)

Pleasure marks singer-songwriter Leslie Feist’s first new full-length record in over half a decade. Produced by Feist alongside Mocky and Renaud Letang, the album was recorded “without guile or go-to’s,” the goal being “to pin the songs down with conviction and our straight up human bodies,” according to Feist. She’s thus far released one song, the album’s title track. 

Gorillaz: Humanz (April 28, Parlophone/Warner Bros.)

Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett have finally gotten the animated band back together. Humanz features a massive all-star cast, including Vince Staples, Savages’ Jehnny Beth, Noel Gallagher, Grace Jones, Popcaan, D.R.A.M., Mavis Staples, Danny Brown, De La Soul, Pusha T, Kali Uchis, Kelela, and others. It was recorded in London, Paris, New York, Chicago, and Jamaica and produced by Gorillaz, the Twilite Tone of D /\ P, and Remi Kabaka. The album’s announcement was accompanied by four brand new songs as well as a performance of the entire thing in London.

Mac DeMarco: This Old Dog (May 5, Captured Tracks)

Mac is back with the follow-up to 2015’s mini-album Another One and 2014’s regular-album Salad Days. DeMarco recorded the album after he moved to Los Angeles from Queens. “The majority of this album is acoustic guitar, synthesizer, some drum machine, and one song is electric guitar,” he said in a statement. “So this is a new thing for me.” The album’s announcement was accompanied by two new songs: “My Old Man” and “This Old Dog.” Read Pitchfork’s interview with DeMarco about the new album.

Perfume Genius: No Shape (May 5, Matador)

Mike Hadreas has announced the follow-up to his excellent 2014 album Too Bright. His fourth Perfume Genius album features the new single “Slip Away,” as well as the Weyes Blood-featuring track “Sides.” “I think a lot of [these songs] are about trying to be happy in the face of whatever bullshit I created for myself or how horrible everything and everyone is,” he said in a statement. Hadreas will tour this year alongside serpentwithfeet. 

Slowdive: Slowdive (May 5, Dead Oceans)

The shoegaze originals return 22 years later with Slowdive, their self-titled follow-up to 1995’s Pygmalion. Despite the lengthy gap, the band’s principal songwriter, Neil Halstead, said, “When you’re in a band and you do three records, there’s a continuous flow and a development. For us, that flow re-started with us playing live again and that has continued into the record.” So far, we’ve heard “Star Roving” and “Sugar for the Pill.”

Girlpool: Powerplant (May 12, Anti-)

Girlpool are back with the follow-up to Before the World Was Big, their debut. Powerplant, which has been preceded by “123” and its gruesome video, sees them step up to Epitaph sister-label Anti-. Catch them on tour behind the record.

Planetarium (Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly, James McAlister): Planetarium [June 9, 4AD]

Back in 2011, Nico Muhly, the National’s Bryce Dessner, percussionist James McAlister, and Sufjan Stevens set out on a project that would encompass the breadth of the solar system. The resulting album, Planetarium, will finally be released in June. The record, led by Sufjan’s voice, features songs about “Halley’s Comet,” “Black Hole,” and “Mars”—as well as the previously released “Saturn.”

Fleet Foxes: Crack-Up [June 16, Nonesuch]

Fleet Foxes’ long-awaited follow-up to Helplessness Blues follows a six-year disappearance in which songwriter Robin Pecknold studied at Columbia University. The first single, a nine-minute epic called “Third of May / Ōdaigahara,” addresses Pecknold’s relationship with bandmate Skyler Skjelset—“the feeling of having an unresolved, unrequited relationship that is lingering psychologically,” Pecknold told Pitchfork. Read more about the album in the full interview, and see their upcoming tour dates.

Lorde: Melodrama [June 16, LAVA/Republic]

Lorde returns with her highly anticipated sophomore album, following 2013’s Pure Heroine. It includes her new single “Green Light,” which details her “first major heartbreak,” as well as the stark piano ballad “Liability.” Lorde performed both tracks on “SNL” earlier this year. The album was produced with Jack Antonoff.

Vince Staples: TBA [Def Jam]

Vince Staples’ upcoming album is the follow-up to 2015’s Summertime ’06 and last year’s Prima Donna EP. Earlier this year, he released the new song “BagBak” and announced that VIP packages for his Life Aquatic Tour would include a free copy of the upcoming record. Staples also collaborated with Gorillaz on “Ascension,” from their upcoming album Humanz.

Lana Del Rey: Lust for Life [Polydor/Interscope]

Lana Del Rey announced her new album Lust for Life with a wonderfully mysterious black-and-white clip that found her wondering aloud, “What shall I cook up for the kids today?”. The first taste of her upcoming Honeymoon follow-up arrived with “Love,” a new single released earlier this year. The album will also likely include a collaboration with the Weeknd, following her appearances on “Party Monster” and “Stargirl Interlude” from his 2016 release Starboy. 

LCD Soundsystem: TBA [Columbia]

It’s been seven years since LCD Soundsystem released This Is Happening, their excellent third album. In the time since, the group disbanded, reformed, and embarked on a reunion tour. (They will headline Pitchfork Music Festival this summer). In early 2016, the band announced that they had signed to Columbia Records, with plans to release new music, but nothing has materialized yet. James Murphy offered an update on the album this January, saying he was “still working” on it, but “winter tends to mess with [his] voice.” Hopefully, the warmer weather will bring new LCD Soundsystem music with it.

April:

04-07

Allan Kingdom: Lines [So Cold/Empire]

Allred & Broderick: Find the Ways [Erased Tapes]

Annie Hardy: Rules [Full Psycho/American Primitive]

Anthony Naples: Us Mix EP [Proibito]

Arca: Arca [XL]

Aye Nako: Silver Haze [Don Giovanni]

The Chainsmokers: Memories...Do Not Open [Disruptor/Columbia]

Clark: Death Peak [Warp] 

Cold Beat: Chaos by Invitation [Crime on the Moon]

Cory Branan: Adios [Bloodshot]

Diet Cig: Swear I’m Good At This [Frenchkiss]

Ecstatic Vision: Raw Rock Fury [Relapse]

Father John Misty: Pure Comedy [Sub Pop]

Fuoco Fatuo: Backwater [Profound Lore]

Fujiya & Miyagi: Fujiya & Miyagi [self-released]

Future Islands: The Far Field [4AD]

Guided by Voices: August by Cake [Rockathon]

Joey Bada$$: ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$ [Pro Era/Cinematic Music Group]

Karen Elson: Double Roses [H.O.T.]

Lil Ugly Mane: Mista Thug Isolation [Hundebiss] [reissue]

Michelle Branch: Hopeless Romantic [Verve]

The New Pornographers: Whiteout Conditions [Collected Work/Concord]

Sam Gellaitry: Escapism III [XL]

San Fermin: Belong [Downtown/Interscope]

Soundwalk Collective: Before Music There Is Blood [Apollo]

Sweet Spirit: St. Mojo [Nine Mile]

Timber Timbre: Sincerely, Future Pollution [Arts & Crafts/City Slang]

Vanbot: Siberia [Lisch Recordings]

Various Artists: Resistance Radio: The Man in the High Castle Album [30th Century]

White Reaper: The World’s Best American Band [Polyvinyl]

04-14

Actress: AZD [Ninja Tune]

Fionn Regan: The Meetings of the Waters [Abbey]

John Mayer: The Search for Everything [Columbia]

Little Dragon: Season High [Loma Vista]

Mary Lattimore: Collected Pieces [Ghostly] [compilation]

Sam Outlaw: Tenderheart [Six Shooter]

Talib Kweli & Styles P: The Seven [Javotti Media/3D]

04-21

Artificial Brain: Infrared Horizon [Profound Lore]

The Black Angels: Death Song [Partisan]

Charly Bliss: Guppy [Barsuk]

Foreseen: Grave Danger [20 Buck Spin]

GAS: NARKOPOP [Kompakt]

Ghosts: Crash Ensemble [Bedroom Community]

Harriet Brown: CONTACT [Innovative Leisure]

Hisato Higuchi: Kietsuzukeru Echo [Root Strata]

J Dilla: Motor City [Dillatronic]

Joe Goddard: Electric Lines [Greco-Roman/Domino]

Kamaiyah: Don’t Get It Twisted [self-released]

Mr. Mitch: Devout [Planet Mu]

Ray Davies: Americana [Legacy]

Real Life Buildings: Significant Weather [Lauren]

Robyn Hitchcock: Robyn Hitchcock [Yep Roc]

Tara Jane O’Neil: Tara Jane O’Neil [Gnomonsong]

Valgeir Sigurðsson: Dissonance [Bedroom Community]

Vampire: With Primeval Force [Century Media]

Various Artists: Thank You, Friends: Big Star’s Third Live... And More [Concord Bicycle]

Woods: Love Is Love [Woodsist]

04-22

RECORD STORE DAY: See list of releases here

04-28

ANAMAI (Egyptrixx & Anna Mayberry): What Mountain [Halocline Trance]

BNQT: Volume 1 [Dualtone/Bella Union]

Colin Stetson: All This I Do For Glory [self-released]

The Cranberries: Something Else [BMG]

Feist: Pleasure [Universal]

Gorillaz: Humanz [Parlophone/Warner Bros]

John Mellencamp: Sad Clowns & Hillbillies [Republic]

Juliana Hatfield: Pussycat [American Laundromat]

Lone: Ambivert Tools Vol. 1 [R&S]

Mark Lanegan Band: Gargoyle [Heavenly]

Mary J. Blige: Strength of a Woman [Capitol]

Mew: Visuals [Play It Again Sam]

The New Year: Snow [Undertow]

Ryuichi Sakamoto: async [Milan]

Shugo Tokumaru: Toss [Polyvinyl]

Sophia Kennedy: Sophia Kennedy [Pampa]

Sufjan Stevens: Carrie & Lowell Live [Asthmatic Kitty]

Swans: The Great Annihilator [Young God/Mute] [reissue]

Sylvan Esso: What Now [Loma Vista]

Thurston Moore: Rock n Roll Consciousness [Caroline International]

WALL: Untitled [Wharf Cat]

Willie Nelson: God’s Problem Child [Legacy]

May:

05-05

The Afghan Whigs: In Spades [Sub Pop]

Alice Coltrane: World Spirituality Classics 1 - The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda [Luka Bop] [reissue]

At the Drive In:  in•ter a•li•a [Rise]

Big Walnuts Yonder: Big Walnuts Yonder [Sargent House]

Bill MacKay: Esker [Drag City]

Black Lips: Satan’s graffiti or God’s art [Vice]

Blondie: Pollinator [BMG]

Bonnie “Prince” Billy: Best Troubador [Drag City]

Brother Ali: All the Beauty in This Whole World [Rhymesayers]

Forest Swords: Compassion [Ninja Tune]

Full of Hell: Trumpeting Ecstasy [Profound Lore]

The Grateful Dead: May 1977: Get Shown the Light [Rhino]

Hoops: Routines [Fat Possum]

Ian William Craig: Slow Vessels EP [Fat Cat]

Jesu/Sun Kil Moon: 30 Seconds to the Decline of Planet Earth [Caldo Verde]

Joan Shelley: Joan Shelley [No Quarter]

John Moreland: Big Bad Luv [4AD]

Juana Molina: Halo [Crammed Discs]

Logic: Everybody [Visionary Music Group/Def Jam]

Mac DeMarco: This Old Dog [Captured Tracks]

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Lovely Creatures: The Best of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds 1984-2014 [Mute]

Nightlands: I Can Feel the Night Around Me [Western Vinyl]

Niia: I [Atlantic]

Nite Jewel: Real High [Gloriette]

Penguin Café: The Imperfect Sea [Erased Tapes]

Perfume Genius: No Shape [Matador]

Pond: The Weather [Marathon Artists]

Robin Trower: Time and Emotion [V-12]

Slowdive: Slowdive [Dead Oceans]

Tall Juan: Olden Goldies [BUFU]

Tiny Vipers: Laughter [Ba Da Bing]

Walter Martin: My Kinda Music [Family Jukebox]

05-12

Eyedress: Manila Ice [Lex]

Girlpool: Powerplant [Anti-]

PWR BTTM: Pageant [Polyvinyl]

Slackk: A Little Light [R&S]

Todd Rundgren: White Knight [Cleopatra]

Various Artist: The Bob’s Burgers Music Album [Sub Pop]

Will Stratton: Rosewood Almanac [Bella Union]

05-19

!!!: Shake the Shudder [Warp]

Alex G: Rocket [Domino]

B Boys: Dada [Captured Tracks]

Coldcut x On-U Sound: Outside the Echo Chamber [Ahead of Our Time]

Demen: Nektyr [Kranky]

Do Make Say Think: Stubborn Persistent Illusions [Constellation]

Faith Evans/The Notorious B.I.G.: The King & I [Rhino]

George Michael: Listen Without Prejudice/MTV Unplugged [Legacy] [reissue]

Heather Trost: Agistri [LM Dupli-cation]

Helium: The Dirt of Luck/The Magic City/Ends With And [Matador] [reissue]

Jlin: Black Origami [Planet Mu]

Land of Talk: Life After Youth [Saddle Creek]

Lord RAJA: Amadeus EP [Ghostly International]

Loss: Horizonless [Profound Lore]

Man Forever: Play What They Want [Thrill Jockey]

The Mountain Goats: Goths [Merge]

The Radiophonic Workshop: Burials in Several Earths [Room 13]

Roger Waters: Is This the Life We Really Want? [TBA]

Sam Amidon: The Following Mountain [Nonesuch]

She-Devils: She-Devils [Secretly Canadian]

Tigers Jaw: Spin [Black Cement]

T.RAUMSCHMIERE: Heimat

Wavves: You’re Welcome [Ghost Ramp]

05-26

The Charlatans: Different Days [BMG]

Justin Townes Earle: Kids in the Street [New West]

Martin Rev: Demolition 9 [Atlas Réalisations]

New Order: NOMC15 [Mute]

June:

06-02

Alt-J: Relaxer [Canvasback Music]

Beach Fossils: Somersault [Bayonet]

Benjamin Booker: Witness [ATO]

Chastity Belt: I Used to Spend So Much Time Alone [Hardly Art]

Coldplay: Kaleidoscope EP [Parlophone]

Dan Auerbach: Waiting on a Song [Easy Eye Sound]

Kacey Johansing: The Hiding [Night Bloom]

Marika Hackman: I’m Not Your Man [Sub Pop]

Mavis Staples: I’ll Take You There—An All-Star Concert Celebration [Blackbird Presents]

Pixx: The Age of Anxiety [4AD]

Saint Etienne: Home Countries [Heavenly]

TOPS: Sugar at the Gate [Arbutus]

U2: The Joshua Tree [30th Anniversary Edition] [Interscope] [reissue]

Whitney: You’ve Got a Woman/Gonna Hurry (As Slow As I Can) [Secretly Canadian] [12” single]

06-09

Agent Blå: Agent Blue [Kanine/Luxury]

Cigarettes After Sex: Cigarettes After Sex [Partisan]

Planetarium (Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly, James McAlister): Planetarium [4AD]

06-16

Chuck Berry: Chuck [Dualtone]

The Drums: “Abysmal Thoughts” [Anti-]

Fleet Foxes: Crack-Up [Nonesuch]

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit: The Nashville Sound [Southeastern]

Kevin Morby: City Music [Dead Oceans]

Lorde: Melodrama [Republic/Lava]

Ride: Weather Diaries [Wichita]

Royal Trux: Platinum Tips + Ice Cream [Drag City]

06-23

Banditos: Visionland [Bloodshot]

TBA

Alice Glass: TBA [TBA]

Amber Coffman: City of No Reply [Columbia]

Arcade Fire: TBA [TBA]

Beck: TBA [Capitol]

Bleachers: TBA [RCA]

Cashmere Cat: 9 [Mad Love/Interscope]

Chic: It’s About Time [TBA]

Chromatics: Dear Tommy [Italians Do It Better]

CyHi the Prynce: No Dope on Sundays [Brooklyn Knights/Sony RAL]

Danzig: Black Laden Crown [Evilive/Nuclear Blast]

Earl Sweatshirt: TBA [TBA]

Fischerscpooner: SIR [TBA]

Grizzly Bear: TBA [TBA]

GZA: Dark Matter [TBA]

Haim: TBA [TBA]

Halsey: Hopeless Fountain Kingdom [Astralwerks]

The I.L.Y’s: Bodyguard [TBA]

Katy Perry: TBA [Capitol]

Kelela: TBA [TBA]

King Krule: TBA [TBA]

Kendrick Lamar: TBA [Top Dawg Entertainment]

The Killers: TBA [TBA]

Lana Del Rey: Lust for Life [Interscope/Polydor]

LCD Soundsystem: TBA [Columbia]

Lil B: Black Ken [self-released]

Major Lazer: TBA [TBA]

Post Malone: Beer Bongs & Bentleys [Republic]

Queens of the Stone Age: TBA [TBA]

Sky Ferreira: Masochism [TBA]

SZA: CTRL [TDE]

Vampire Weekend: Mitsubishi Macchiato [TBA]

Vince Staples: TBA [Def Jam]

Wolf Parade: TBA [TBA]

Zack de la Rocha: TBA [TBA]

[thejoyofviolentmovement]

New Video: The Soft Calvary Releases a Hearing Impaired Friendly Visual for New Single "Bulletproof"

New Video: The Soft Calvary Releases a Hearing Impaired Friendly Visual for New Single "Bulletproof" @thesoftcalvary @rachelagoswell @slowdiveband @bellaunion @sallyhedberg

Earlier this year, I wrote about The Soft Calvary, a new shoegaze project formed by husband and wife duo Steve Clarke and Slowdive’s Rachel Goswell, and their self-titled, full-length is slated for a July 5, 2019 release through Bella Union Records. Interestingly, for The Soft Calvary’s Steve Clarke, the album is equal parts labor…

[thejoyofviolentmovement]

New Video: The Soft Cavalry Releases a Meditative and Cinematic Visual for Swooning and Slow-burning Album Single "Dive"

New Video: The Soft Cavalry Releases a Meditative and Cinematic Visual for Swooning and Slow-burning Album Single "Dive" @thesoftcavalry @slowdiveband @bellaunion @sallyhedberg @handheldcine

Formed by husband and wife duo Steve Clarke and Slowdive’s Rachel Goswell, The Soft Calvary is a new project, and their self-titled full-length debuts slated for a July 5, 2019 release through renowned indie label Bella Union Records. For Clarke, the album is equal parts labor of love and long-held dream finally realized — and…

[thejoyofviolentmovement]

Photography: Summer in Quarantined New York Part 10

Photography: Summer in Quarantined New York Part 10

Photography: Summer in Quarantined New York Part 10

The other day, I had started to feel overwhelmingly anxious. My heart and my thoughts were racing uncontrollably and I couldn’t seem to calm myself. Because I have the comfort of a few days under my belt, I have to admit that a couple of things just hit me harder than I expected:

Chadwick Boseman’s tragic and unexpected death (at least to…

[thejoyofviolentmovement]

New Audio: Los Angeles' Small Planets Releases a Shimmering Classic Post-Punk Inspired Single

New Audio: Los Angeles’ Small Planets Releases a Shimmering Classic Post-Punk Inspired Single

  Small Planets is a Los Angeles-based post punk act, comprised of founding trio Jeff Love (guitars), Josh Spincic (bass) and Phil Drazic (drums) with Jessica Hernandez…

[stormyrecords-blog]

new arrivals 4-27-17

record store day was a wonderful thing this year - so many happy people talking about great records and enjoying each other and music. as always - our volunters made th whole thing possible, as did all the great people who stopped by and said hello, looked at records, and celebrated with us. thank you everyone!! you all make what we do possible! we have decided to continue the in-store sales/discounts for a few more weeks. used 45s are 20% off, used rock cds 20% off, used indie cds are half off, and used tapes are half off. new items coming in NEXT week for the may 5th release date - Slowdive S/T new album (hoping for silver vinyl) on lp and cd - their first in 22 years!!Slowdive’s second act as a live blockbuster has already been rapturously received around the world. Highlights thus far include a festival-conquering, sea-of-devotees Primavera Sound performance, of which Pitchfork noted: “The beauty of their crystalline sound is almost hard to believe, every note in its perfect place.” Bonnie Prince Billy covers Merle Haggard on lp and cdBonnie "Prince" Billy, also known as Will Oldham, is a longtime fan of the "Okie From Muskogee" Hall of Famer, having covered a Haggard song at his first public performance 25 years ago. He also interviewed the legendary songwriter for a magazine feature in 2009 and included a cover of "Because of Your Eyes" on a 7" vinyl release in 2011.Best Troubadour is the culmination of that decades-long love affair with Haggard's music, featuring 16 tracks from various stages of Haggard's lengthy career. Oldham recorded the songs in his home with the Bonafide United Musicians. Moon Duo Occult Architecture  Vols 1 and 2 on lp Meaning all things magick and supernatural, the root of the word occult is that which is hidden, concealed, beyond the limits of our minds. If this is occult, then the Occult Architecture of Moon Duo’s fourth album - a psychedelic opus in two separate volumes released in 2017 - is an intricately woven hymn to the invisible structures found in the cycle of seasons and the journey of day into night, dark into light. ALICE COLTRANE new lp and cdAlice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda’s devotion to spirituality was the central purpose of the final four decades of her life, an often-overlooked awakening that largely took shape during her four year marriage to John Coltrane and after his 1967 death. By 1983, Alice had established the 48- acre Sai Anantam Ashram outside of Los Angeles. She quietly began recording music from the ashram, releasing it within her spiritual community in the form of private press cassette tapes. On May 5, the record label Luaka Bop, founded by David Byrne, will release the first-ever compilation of recordings from this period, making these songs available to the wider public for the first time. Entitled ‘World Spirituality Classics, Volume 1: The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda', the release is the first installment in a planned series of spiritual music from around the globe; curated, compiled and distributed by Luaka Bop. also expecting recent releases from Children of Alice (broadcast side project), Doug Tuttle, Bardo Pond, Creation box, Sun Ra singles 1 and 2, and much more!!!! for this week - the week of April 27th, 2017, we have these items for you!! FAUSTFresh Air LP+CD  $26.99LP version. Includes CD. Faust's new album Fresh Air differs in several respects from its predecessor, Just Us (BB 182CD/LP, 2014). The recordings were made at Jean-Hervé Péron's rehearsal studio in Schiphorst in northern Germany, hypnotic pieces with the kind of noisemaking the band is known for. For the new album, Péron and Werner "Zappi" Diermaier were looking for communication with musician friends and the audience. The tracks were recorded in changing ensembles at changing locations in the USA (during a tour in 2016). In these community recordings, with friendly support from Péron's database of field recordings, a strongly shaded noise music emerged which extends its feelers to the remotest corners of the here and now. Droning, swinging, lusting for freedom, here and there holding out quite stoically as machine-room blues. On board are the freely fabulous Barbara Manning in a live lecture, Jürgen Engler (Die Krupps) in overdub, and Ysanne Spevack as a wonderful wave-maker on the viola. The seven and a half minute title track begins with the poem by a French school friend of Péron (translated and recited in Polish) and ends in an industrial sound inferno. The singer cries for "Fresh Air" as if it is being taken away from him. Jean-Hervé Péron offers a political reading: "Can you breathe calmly here, or are we being poisoned?" "Engajouez Vous!" Péron presents this franco-Faustian artificial word to the audience and rewrites the Marseillaise for the here and now in the track "Chlorophyl". And finally, Zappi has his mini-dada performance with "Schnobs" and "Bia": a small dialect-based text piece, which starts with chlorophyl, goes over the meadow past the cow and lands with the farmer who drinks a beer and schnapps and suddenly sees two cows. The story of the band can tell that tale nicely. As Krautrockers, Faust had a worldwide career. On their first three albums in the early 1970s, they inhabited the vast field from improvisation to bricolage to rock'n'roll with the ease of rogues and the determination of declared sonic renegades. One can still feel the breathing of this music in current Faust pieces, in the stone-age thudding of "Fish", which Faust anticipated in 1972 on "Mamie Is Blue". "We let the music play through us," says Jean-Hervé Péron. Jean-Hervé Péron has a little tip for us: Listen to the fish. CORTINI & MASAMI AKITA, ALESSANDROAlessandro Cortini & Masami Akita 2LP  $39.99Alessandro Cortini (Nine Inch Nails) and Japanese noise legend Masami Akita (Merzbow) share a mutual love for the EMS Synthi, a British synthesizer from the early '70s notorious for its patch matrix, portability, and distinct tone. Astonishingly, these two disparate artists meld into a single sound as they flex the analog circuitry of the EMS Synthi in new ways; giving this classic synth a modern workout and proving that, in capable hands, a 40-year-old analog synthesizer is a tool for the ages. Metallic shimmer print on heavy duty jackets; 180 gram vinyl. VA: I Believe I'll Go Back Home LP $16.99"A sequel (of sorts) to the I Don't Feel At Home In this World Anymore compilation. The stone cold beautiful African guitar playing and singing of Sabelo and G. Wayawaya, the intense Native American country music of Jenks 'Tex' Carman, the great Tex Mex of Lydia Mendoza, the heavy hypnotic Cajun sounds of Amede Ardion and Dennis McGee, the shimmeringly beautiful singing and playing of the Genial Hawaiians, the deep deep deep Rembetika of Marika Papagika, the soulful gospel of Blind Willie Davis, the sacred Indian sounds of T.R. Mahalingham and Khansahib Abdul Karim Khan, the early Jewish mysticism of Max Leibowitz, the dark Cuban rumbles of Sexteto Bologna and much more. Here we have a diverse cross section of the world's music - a unifying sound during divisive times. Old school 'tip on' cover." VAContaminazioni No Wave Italiane (1980-1985)LP+CD  $27.99Taking up the gauntlet thrown down by New York's no wave scene, many Italian bands of the early '80s, playing far from the footlights of the world's stage, began creating compelling, and often cutting edge, hybrid sounds. This kind of experimenting soon went viral along the entire peninsula: from Southern Italy to the Alps, creating a brave new Italian take on post-punk. From the nervous white funk of Neopolitans Bisca, to the instrumental explorations of Confusional Quartet, to the "fake jazz" of the Hi-Fi Bros (who even had a track produced by Arto Lindsay), to Band Aid, this collection testifies to one of the most creative periods of the Italian underground. Also features: Eazycon, Modern Model, Die Form, Funkwagen, Nofun, Hakkah, Illogico, Rinf, and State Of Art. Includes CD; CD features the previously unreleased bonus track by La Maison, "Noise Express". ANDRIESSEN, JURRIAANThe Awakening Dream LP  $25.99LP version. Bureau B present a reissue of Jurriaan Andriessen's The Awakening Dream, originally released in 1977. Jurriaan Andriessen (1925-1996) was a Dutch composer. Although he was actually at home in classical music, he recorded three synthesizer albums in the late 1970s, the first of which, The Awakening Dream, is an outstanding excursion into experimental ambient and minimal music. Andriessen himself, 52 years of age at the time, called it a "trance symphony". The music - perhaps surprisingly for a contemporary classical composer - is less in the tradition of his peers such as Pierre Boulez or Karlheinz Stockhausen and more in tune with the electronic sounds of the '70s emanating from Berlin, Düsseldorf, or Forst, the likes of Cluster, early Kraftwerk, and Tangerine Dream, in places echoing Conrad Schnitzler. Andriessen was familiar with the work of these artists, but was probably more influenced by minimalist composers like Philip Glass or synthesizer pioneer Walter Carlos whom he admired. The entire album is played on a Minimoog Model D, a Fender Rhodes piano, a Hohner Clavinet, and a Philicorda organ. It was recorded sound on sound, before the 8-track machine entered the studio, using two Revox A77 tape recorders. Andriessen studied in Paris with Olivier Messiaen and in the USA with Serge Koussevitsky and Aaron Copland. Back in Holland he worked for radio, television and theatre. His compositions for state ceremonies such as the coronation of Queen Beatrix and the annual "Opening of Parliament" won him acclaim and he also wrote the music for the Oscar winning film The Assault (1986). Andriessen started to experiment with synthesizers on new compositions in the early 1970s. In 1973, he wrote music for Georg Büchner's play Leonce And Lena and performed it on the ARP 2500 synthesizer. Andriessen was more interested in the challenge of creating new, previously unheard sounds than he was in imitating existing instruments. He strived to invent a novel, unique musical universe. Later he worked mainly with a Minimoog Model D, experimenting and recording in the Dream Studio, the home studio he built with his sons Gijs and Nils in The Hague. As a composer, Jurriaan was always ahead of his time. He loved research and enjoyed using uncommon or newly invented instruments in his compositions, often in unconventional formations. His last work, Jeux Des Vents, appeared in 1996. He died later the same year in The Hague. CROATIAN AMORFinding People 12"  $15.99An assembly of choral traces and transmissions, these four new tracks are Croatian Amor's clearest move towards pop. At the same time, this is perhaps the weirdest record yet from Croatian Amor, introducing a complexity previously not seen. From the cut-up, granulated rhythm section and auto-tuned choir of the opener "Sky Walkers", to the duetting ballad of "Finding People" -- featuring additional vocals from new name Khalil -- the record never rests for long. The exploration is soothing, its search a tonic to the swarm of emotion it provokes.