Etta James, The Dreamer (Verve Forecast) Now in her 70s, the soulful blues, soul and R&B singer has released upwards of 30 albums in her five-decade career. This one her official swan song as she plans to retire after its release. Among the tracks re-imagined by Etta are Otis Redding's "Cigarettes and Coffee," Bobby 'Blue' Bland's "Dreamer," "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N' Roses and "Groove Me" by King Floyd.
Alan Lomax, Whaur the Pig Gaed On the Spree (Drag City / Two's and Few's) A collection of Lomax's Scottish recording's circa 1951-1957 — pipe tunes, children'sgames, Robert Burns compositions and dozens of ballads from farm laborers, ï¬�shwives, and the Scottish traveling folk — that commemorate their 60th anniversary; curated by Drag City recording artist Alasdair Roberts.
David Lynch, Crazy Clown Time (PIAS) The visionary filmmaker serves up his solo music debut, with Lynch on guitar and vocals. Two tracks released late last year — "Good Day Today" and "I Know" — earned praise from The LA Times, which wrote: "Frightening effects and mysterious lyrics: this is Lynch's most unexpected venture to date." The 14-song collection of foreboding soundscapes has been described by Lynch as "modern blues." Check out the video trailer for the album below.
M+A, Things Yes (Monotreme) The Italian electro/future pop duo — made up of young musicians Michele Ducci and Alessandro Degli Angioli — present their debut. Listen to "Liko, Lene, Lisa" below.
Cass McCombs, Humor Risk (Domino) The singer-songwriter issues his second album this year, recorded in various homes and studios across America. Check out "The Same Thing" below.
Medeski Scofield Martin and Wood, MSMW LIVE: In Case the World Changes Its Mind (Indirecto) Guitar maestro John Scofield first brought on forward-thinking post-jazz trio Medeski Martin & Wood to work as virtual sidemen on Scofield's 1998 album, A Go Go. The foursome re-convened many years later in a collaborative partnership that resulted in 2006's Out Louder. This 12-track double live album features select performances from their 2006 MSMW tour. See MSMW them play at this weekend’s Bear Creek Fest in Live Oak.
Mac Miller, Blue Slide Park (Rostrum) The indie hip hop artist from Pittsburgh hits Jannus Live on Tues., Nov. 22.
Owen, Ghost Town (Polyvinyl) The solo project of influential Chicago musician Mike Kinsella (Cap'n Jazz, Joan of Arc, Owls); the new record brims with subdued melodies, Kinsella's plaintive vocals, and a mix of organic and electric instrumentation. Listen to "I Believe" below.
Mike Patton, Solitude of Prime Numbers (Ipecac) The soundtrack to the film (based on novel of the same name by Paolo Giordano) was entirely composed by Patton.
Pusha T, Fear Of God II: Let Us Pray (Good Music/Decon) Terrence Thornton aka Pusha T is a rapper and one-half of the critically acclaimed duo Clipse. This is his solo major label debut. Check out the video below for "Trouble On My Mind" featuring guest Tyler, The Creator.
Samples, Malbec (Old Tacoma Records) The second full-length release for the Denver artist otherwise known as Ben Samples and first on Eliot Lipp's electronic music label.
Sigur Rós, INNI Live CD/DVD (XL Recordings) Recorded and shot over two nights at London's Alexandra Palace, this double live album and a 75-minute concert film captures Sigur Rós' final show before their "indefinite hiatus" at the end of 2008. Official release date Nov. 7. Preview below.
Devon Sproule, I Love You, Go Easy (Tin Angel Records) Ontario-born, Virginia-raised songwriter releases her debut record, which she recorded with experimental folk-pop trio The Silt.
Various Artists, Eccentric Soul: The Nickel & Penny Labels (Numero Group) Late DJ and radio/music icon Richard Pegue worked with Numero Group to put together a catalog of unheard soul music, with select cuts presented in this collection of rare sides by Jerry Townes, the Voices, the Norvells, Little Ben & The Cheers, South Shore Commission, Joyce Williams, The Halleluiah Chorus, Brothers & Sisters and more.
Zambri, Glossolalia (Kanine) Cristi Jo and Jessica Zambri lead Zambie, and deliver their dueling avant-garde pop vocals over noisy electro-experimentalism with New Wave influences. Watch the "On Call" video below.
Zodiac Death Valley, Zodiac Death Valley (Omega) A debut of dark sailor music with barrel house piano, psychedelic organ, searing lead guitar, thumping bass and a train rolling back beat. Check out "The Room" below.
Not a huge amount of new releases out this week but enough that are worthy of note. I've included info and links for the ones you want to know about most below, plus some other ones you may never 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 ...
Danny Barnes, Rocket (ATO) The follow-up to the banjo pioneer's critically-acclaimed 2010 LP, Pizza Box.
The Bees, Every Step's A Yes (ATO) The UK throwback 60s groove rock band (AKA Band of Bees) celebrates the release of their fourth and latest album with a deluxe release in the U.S.
Brian Eno, Panic Of Looking EP (Warp) Six unreleased tracks derived from the same sessions that produced this year's Drums Between The Bells album with British poet Rick Holland. Listen to the title track after the jump, and find out about the rest of this week's new releases.
