DZ Deathrays, Bloodstreams (3/4) The Australian thrash pop outfit gets its U.S. introduction. Video for first single "No Sleep" below.
Flats, Better Living (One Little Indian / Sweatshop)
John Fullbright, From the Ground Up (Blue Dirt/Thirty Tigers).
Aaron Freeman, Marvelous Clouds (Partisan Records) The singer-songwriter otherwise known as Gene Ween (one-half of the creative force behind humor rock outfit Ween) issues his solo debut, a tribute to poet, singer, songwriter and composer Rod McKuen. (Original release date was April 10.)
Here We Go Magic, A Different Ship (Secretly Canadian) Luke Temple met Radiohead’s longtime producer/collaborator Nigel Godrich at Glastonury in 2010 and soon enough, was signed on to help Temple on Here We Go Magic’s third full-length, an exquisite piece of work; review forthcoming. Check out the fun video for "How Do I know" below.
Martha's Trouble, A Little Heart Like You (Rock Ridge Music) The indie folk duo made up of Rob and Jen Slocumb present an album of lullabies for children – four originals, four traditionals, one “mash-up” (of “You Are So Beautiful” and Brahm’s Lullaby,” dubbed “Slocumb’s Lullaby”), and one song that includes three bedtime prayers put to music.
Rachael Sage, Haunted By You (Mpress) Rachael Sage's 10th album features various special guests, among them, Dar Williams, Counting Crows' David Immergluck, and actor/director Joshua Leonard. Check out the track "Abby Would You Wait" below.
Arturo Sandoval, Dear Diz (Every Day I Think Of You) (Concord Jazz) Sandoval pays direct loving tribute to Afro-Cuban icon Dizzy Gillespie, referred to as a sort of 'spiritual father' by Sandoval.
South Memphis String Band, Old Times There... (Memphis International) The sophomore record from the group made up of Luther Dickinson, Alvin Youngblood Hart and Jimbo Mathus.
Paul Thorn, What The Hell is Going On? (Perpetual Obscurity/Thirty Tigers) An ‘MNF fave issues a new solo record, this one an album of covers by Buddy Miller, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Elvin Bishop, Lindsey Buckingham, Rick Danko & Bobby Charles, Big Al Anderson, Foy Vance, Donnie Fritts and Eli “Paperboy” Reed, with Delbert McClinton and Bishop sitting in as guest performers. Thorn stops in town to perform a solo acoustic set at Skipper’s Smokehouse Fri., May 25. Video for the title track below.
Turing Machine, What Is The Meaning Of What (Temporary Residence Ltd) The dance rock trio release their first new material in eight years, the extended hiatus follwing 2004's Zwei was in large part due to drummer Jerry Fuchs' run of high profile collaborations with !!!, Maserati, The Juan Maclean, LCD Soundsystem, Holy Ghost!, MSTRKRFT, and Massive Attack, among others. Recording for What Is The Meaning Of What began in 2008, but came to a halt after Fuchs' tragic death. Turing Machine's remaining members – guitarist Justin Chearno and bassist Scott DeSimon – re-visited the tracks with producers Andrew Raposo (Midnight Magic) and Abe Seiferth, and over the course of 2011, finished the record with help from friends like LCD's Pat Mahoney, Disappears vocalist Brian Case and a host of musicians from the DFA roster. Listen to "Slave to the Algorithm" below.
Wave #2 of May's new music releases. I've included 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 check out releases that dropped over the past few months ...
Damon Albarn, Dr Dee (Virgin Records) The British musician, singer-songwriter and record producer best known as the creative force who fronts Blur presents a solo record inspired by the life of John Dee (1527-1608), mathematician, alchemist, philosopher and advisor to Elizabeth I. Described by Albarn as "strange pastoral folk," and combines Albarn's vocals with early English choral and instrumentation and modern, West African and Renaissance sounds.
Luther Dickinson, Hambone's Meditation and The Wandering, (Songs of the South) The singer, songwriter and lick-firing axeman of North Mississippi Allstars, Dickinson releases two records with very different feels. Hambone's Meditation is an acoustic instrumental guitar record; The Wandering features female singers from Memphis and North Mississippi. Dickinson also appears on Old Times There..., the second record from his South Memphis String Band with Alvin Youngblood Hart and Jimbo Mathus. Check out three tracks from Meditation after the jump...
