This week, we offer a breakdown of some new releases out on April 15, and a selection of noteworthy vinyl coming out this Sat., April 19, in honor of Record Store Day 2014. More on that later, including a breakdown of participating local shops. In the meantime, info and links for the ones you want to know about most below, plus some other ones you may not have heard of (but should know), with audio & video for your listening and viewing pleasure. Click here to see releases from the past several weeks…
The Afghan Whigs, Do To The Beast (Sub Pop)
The first Whigs release since reuniting in 2011 and the first album of new material since 1998's 1965.
Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell, Check 'em Before You Wreck 'em (Rise Above Records)
Ian Anderson, Homo Erraticus (Kscope)
August Alsina, Testimony (Island/Def Jam)
Banner Pilot, Souvenir (Fat Wreck Chords)
Del Barber, Prairieography (True North)
The Birds of Satan, Birds Of Satan (Shannabelle)
The side project of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins.
Breathe Carolina, Savages (Fearless)
Jack Bruce, Silver Rails (Esoteric)
The Crookes, Soapbox (Modern Outsider)
The tight and ferocious Sheffield, UK indie rockers issue a third full-length. Their latest video, for the song "Holy Innocents," was shot by drummer Russell Bates using captured footage from Sant' Antonio Chapel in Northern Italy, where they recorded Soapbox. Check it after the jump, along with the rest of this week's new releases, both today's and Saturdays...
Rodney Crowell, Tarpaper Sky (New West Records)
Deleted Scenes, Lithium Burn (Park the Van)
The DC area art rock quartet presents their third album, and brought on Dustin Diamond (Screech from Saved By The Bell) to star in the dark video for the single "Stutter," which finds him having a truly wretched day. According to director Alec Sutherland, "the band wanted to make a video about an actor coming unhinged. They threw in a handful of names of the type of actor they were thinking. A couple of months and a hundred or so phone calls to Dustin's manager later, we found ourselves in an LA diner sitting across from him, cutting up chicken fried steaks and listening to the horrors of participating in Celebrity Big Brother. The next day we shot this video." Check it below.
Jason Derülo, Talk Dirty (Warner Bros.)
Check out a retro story about the R&B/pop star right here, who hit town on his debut headlining tour in 2010 behind his eponymous first album.
Emmure, Eternal Enemies (Victory)
Heartsrevolution, Ride Or Die (Owsla)
Horse Thief, Fear in Bliss (Bella Union)
The debut album from a youthful band with a sound that evokes expansive spaces and panoramic views, and goes from intimate to anthemic, as led by the vocals and lyrical musings of Cameron Neal, who's said the album's over-arching themeis “finding yourself and what you believe in, and finding the comfort in acknowledging fear. I’ve struggled with anxiety and depression which comes out a lot on the new album. But when everything gets rough, I think there’s always a way to fix it. The biggest thing for me is to give comfort to people, to shed light on the truth that someone is feeling the same way as them." Listen to "Little Dust" below.
Ikebe Shakedown, Stone by Stone (Ubiquity Records)
Japanther, Instant Money Magic (Seayou Records)
Ziggy Marley, Fly Rasta (Tuff Gong)
Jessica Lea Mayfield, Make My Head Sing... (ATO)
Megafauna, Maximalist (Danimal Kingdom)
Ingrid Michaelson, Lights Out (Cabin 24)
NEEDTOBREATHE, Rivers In The Wasteland (Atlantic)
Justin Nozuka, Ulysees (Glassnote)
Odonis Odonis, Hard Boiled Soft Boiled (Buzz Records)
The Oath, The Oath (Rise Above Records)
Pharoahe Monch, P.T.S.D. - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (Ingrooves)
Plague Vendor, Free To Eat (Epitaph)
Ramona Lisa, Arcadia (Terrible Records)
Chairlift’s Caroline Polachek solo project
The Secret Sisters, Put Your Needle Down (Universal Republic)
Sevendust, Time Travelers & Bonfires (7bros Records)
Dylan Shearer, garagearray (Castle Face)
Shonen Knife, Overdrive (Good Charamel Records)
Strung Out, Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues (Fat Wreck Chords)
Chuck E. Weiss, Red Beans And Weiss (Anti/Epitaph)
Woods, With Light and With Love (Woodsist)
The pop shamans expand their palette encompassing singing saw, heavier percussive drive, and saloon-style piano apparently rescued from a flooded basement. According to the release, With Light And With Love is "Distinct from both the stoned volk of their earliest recordings and the Kraut-y dalliances of more recent fare ... a more sophisticated brand of contemporary drug music that owes more to Magical Mystery Tour than motorik." Listen to "Moving To The Left" below.
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This Saturday, April 19, marks the sixth annual edition of Record Store Day, a nationwide celebration that floods local indie music shops with exclusive, limited edition inventory, not to mention select titles offered as vinyl for the first time and others earlier than their official release dates. And pretty much everyone, from unsigned indie artists to huge label stars, has gotten involved in the indie store-only release action. Check out some highlights of releases below and stay tuned for our breakdown of locals shops hosting events in honor of the vinyl party... A complete breakdown of RSD releases right here.
Big Mama Thornton, Sassy Mama 12" (Vanguard) Fans voted for this reissue of a fiery 1975 live set from Big Mama, remastered from the original tapes and offered in an 'exact replica' LP package. An RSD Exclusive.
Cults, Upstairs at United 12" (453 Music) The 10th volume of the Upstairs at United live-to-tape analog recording series featured the NY indie pop duo, and the February 3, 2014 appearance was cut to a 45 RPM 12'' exclusively for the RSD; includes ''You Know What I Mean,'' ''Were Before'' and ''Total Control.'' An RSD Exclusive.
The Cure/Dinosaur Jr., Side By Side Series 7" (Rhino) The Side By Side series puts an original song and a cover of the same song on one 7"; this one on white 45 RPM vinyl features The Cure's "Just Like Heaven" as covered by Dino Jr. An RSD Exclusive.
Django Django, "The Porpoise Song" 7” release. My favorite spastic Beta Band-influenced UK dance band covering the Monkees’ “Porpoise Song” (from the tripped-out film Head).
Drive-By Truckers, Dragon Pants 10" EP (ATO) Five tracks of B-Sides and outtakes from new album English Oceans
Grateful Dead, Live at Hampton Coliseum (Rhino)
Live 2-LP set from the band's debut concert at the Hampton, Va. venue, on May 4, 1979. This is the first-ever release of this show in any format. Numbered, with artwork by Kyle Fields. An RSD Exclusive.
Green Day, Demolicious (Reprise) A special edition 18-track comp that includes unreleased demo recordings from the ¡Uno!, ¡Dos! and ¡Tré! sessions as well as one previously unreleased song "State of Shock" and an acoustic version of "Stay the Night." Available on red or clear vinyl, CD, or cassette. An RSD Exclusive.
Ray LaMontagne, "Supernova" 7" (RCA) The first single from his forthcoming full-length, Supernova, out May 6; produced by Dan Auerbach. Includes "Supernova" and "Pick Up A Gun." An RSD Exclusive.
LCD Soundsystem, The Long Goodbye (LCD Soundsystem Live At Madison Square Garden) (PLGUK) The complete, unabridged recording of LCD Soundsystem's nearly four-hour farewell show at MSG on April 2, 2011. Produced and mixed by LCD founder/frontman James Murphy. This special box set is an 'RSD First' Release, available at select indie record shops more than a month before it's available anywhere else.
Nirvana, "Pennyroyal Tea"/"I Hate Myself and Want To Die" 7" (Geffen) The song was due scheduled to be the third single released off In Utero in April 1994, however, after the death of Cobain that month, the original release was abandoned. An RSD Exclusive.
The Notorious B.I.G., Life After Death (Rhino) Reissue of the rapper's 1997 second and final studio album on triple, clear vinyl.
Otis Redding, Pain In My Heart (Rhino)
A 50th anniversary reissue of Otis Redding's 1964 debut, in original mono. Foil stamped.
Tame Impala, Live Versions (Interscope) Eight tracks recorded in Chicago during the band's 2013 U.S. tour.
The Velvet Underground, Loaded (Rhino) The 1970 album gets reissued on pink, black and white splatter vinyl.
of Montreal, Satanic Panic 10th Anniversary Re-Issue (Polyvinyl) The Kevin Barnes-led psych pop outfit's breakthrough is remastered and re-issued on 180-gram vinyl in a gatefold jacket with download, Disc 1 on yellow vinyl, Disc 2 on light blue vinyl.
Various Artists, The Space Project Box Set (Lefse/Fat Possum) Vinyl, singles collection & CD of Beach House, Spiritualized, Youth Lagoon and Mutual Benefit among others doing songs inspired by the NASA voyager mission. An 'RSD First' Release.
