Bitchin Bajas and Bonny Prince Billy – Epic Jammers And Fortunate Little Ditties CD/LP/Cassette (Drag City)

Epic Jammers And Fortunate Little Ditties contains moments of tranquility and trance, with the players integrating their separate ways, vibing off each other, making songs together. Bonny is at his spirit-melting celestial best wandering through a lifetime of fortunes that amount, when incanted, to a prayer to the god of many names. The Bajas access to the universal aural paintbox is unparalleled; their reach is deep. And it all went down onto a two-track reel-to-reel in primitive left-right steps that helped to define their ability to finish it in mixing.

The Body – No One Deserves Happiness CD/LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)

On No One Deserves Happiness, The Body’s Chip King and Lee Buford set out to make “the grossest pop album of all time.” The album highlights The Body’s musical adaptability as they swiftly combine and bend genres, taking their signature doom heaviness and incorporating electronic and dance elements.

Boris with Merzbow – Gensho 2xCD (Relapse)

Boris with Merzbow – Gensho – Part One 2xLP+MP3 (Relapse)

Boris with Merzbow – Gensho – Part Two 2xLP+MP3 (Relapse)

Named after the Japanese word for “phenomenon,” Gensho is a unique release featuring over 150 minutes of new music spread across two CDs and four LPs (available as two separate double LP sets).The Boris songs are completely new, percussion-less reinventions of classic tracks from the band’s storied catalog, while Merzbow’s songs are entirely new compositions.

HÆLOS – Full Circle CD/LP+MP3 (Matador)

Every generation has their own version of the blues, music that captures a sense of melancholia and provides a sonic reflecting pool for young lovers, old souls, and the eternally heartbroken. For their darkly shaded and radiant debut album Full Circle, HÆLOS have found their blues where others go to find pure, uncut joy: the dancefloor. The London trio’s version of a night out is a million miles away from mirror balls and sweaty bodies, their rippling electronic pop conjuring the exhilarating privacy of a cavernous club’s dark pockets and the introspective comedowns that accompany rainy 5 A.M. cab rides. Throughout the album, HÆLOS reconstruct the structure of dance sounds past and present to construct an exquisitely elegiac mood that retains a sense of presence as it conveys the pain of emotional distance.

James – Girl At The End Of The World CD (BMG Recorded Music)

“There are plenty of bands doing the rounds at the moment that began their career several decades ago. The nostalgia trip is a profitable one for some. There are fewer of those bands who are still making new music, and even less that are making music that is fresh and enjoyable. It’s easy to trade on past glories and regurgitate a sound that can be sold easily. James has always been the outsiders when it comes to that commercial aspect. Despite the hit singles and ferociously supportive fan base, they never quite got the respect they deserve. To prove their worth far above a legacy band, James has just released their fourteenth studio album. While 2014’sLa Petite Mort featured a smorgasbord of styles and a common theme through many of the songs, Girl at the End of the World steps up a gear and unleashes a powerhouse of keyboards and dance-fueled beats that will take many by surprise” – Louder Than War. Vinyl edition due April 1.

Damien Jurado – Visions Of Us On The Land CD/2xLP+MP3/3xLP+MP3 (Secretly Canadian)

Providing the ideal entry point for neophytes and an intoxicating aural high for the faithful, Damien Jurado’s new opus extends the hot streak ignited by 2012’s Maraqopa and its 2014 follow-up Brothers And Sisters Of The Eternal Son. Cut once again with label mate and super producer Richard Swift at the latter’s National Freedom recording facility in rural Oregon, Visions Of Us On The Land completes the tale of an individual who has had to disappear from society in order to discover some universal truths. Lead single “Exit 353” “ambles along on guitars that recall the rambling psychedelic rock of the ’70s, while strings and piano notes hearken to the baked desert scores of Hollywood Westerns. It’s a blurred, reverberating expanse of sound, once again proving how successfully Jurado has transitioned through genres, reaching a point where it all comes together in one powerful, evocative track” – Consequence Of Sound. (Regular and Deluxe vinyl editions available. Deluxe adds the bonus LP Far Out To Where We Were Then, pressed on white vinyl, which is a collection of demo versions of songs from the album as well as two unreleased tracks.)

Lust For Youth – Compassion CD/LP (Sacred Bones)

“Lust For Youth’s bloom of synthpop has grown wildly in recent years, from Hannes Norrvide’s bedroom ambiance to bubble-glum growths of lush, exuberant new wave. The inclusion of live collaborator Loke Rahbek (Sexdrome, Vår) and producer Malthe Fischer on 2014’s International vaulted the project from bedroom-synth haze through a pulsing joyride of dizzying attraction and euphoric adoration, soundtracking a Cimmerian club life with bright light and glamor. With Compassion, Norrvide and co. are again out to quench an existential thirst, this time armed with stadium-sized pop and more anthems for inner youth.” – Slug Magazine

Cullen Omori – New Misery CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Sub Pop)

Cullen Omori knows it’s a false cliché to say there are no second acts in American lives, but, after the 2014 breakup of his acclaimed band the Smith Westerns, living that cliché was his greatest fear. His solo debut, New Misery is a direct challenge to that anxiety: an album that goes beyond the glam punch of the Smith Westerns to new sounds, new sources of inspiration, and greater self-awareness.

Grant-Lee Phillips – The Narrows CD/LP+MP3 (Yep Roc)

The concentrated nexus of romance, recollection, historic struggles and tragedies, and peerless craftsmanship coupled with the hopes, fears, and isolation that accompany transition formed the backdrop of The Narrows. Bathed in a woody, warmly reverberating sonic signature, the album’s thirteen songs are marked by longing and a resolute sense of purpose: As though hurling yourself full-force into the unknown is as sensible as any other more commonly prescribed course. After all, what feels unknown may be residing just below the surface — should you be willing to dig for it and be open to discovery.

  

Iggy Pop – Post Pop Depression CD/LP+MP3 (Loma Vista/Concord)

Iggy Pop’s 17^th album, co-created with producer Josh Homme (Queens Of The Stone Age, Eagles Of Death Metal) began with a succinctly worded text from Iggy to Joshua, and was realized in seclusion with Homme’s enlisted aid of his Queens Of The Stone Age bandmate and Dead Weather-man Dean Fertitia and Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders.”I wanted to be free,” recalls Iggy of the earliest germ of the partnership with Homme that culminated in Post Pop Depression. “To be free, I needed to forget. To forget, I needed music. Josh had that in him, so I set out to provoke an encounter-first with a carefully worded text, followed by a deluge of writings all about me. No composer wants to write about nothing. He got revved up and we had a great big rumble in the desert USA.” “This was to go where neither of us had gone before,” adds Homme. “That was the agreement. And to go all the way.”“[Post Pop Depression] sounds like a perfect mixture of the QUOTA’s edgy desert rock and Iggy’s late-’70s heyday—an example of a ‘supergroup’ that actually works. Iggy has said thatPost Pop Depression is a spiritual sequel to his 1977 collaboration with David Bowie, Lust For Life” – Paste. [Regular and Deluxe vinyl editions available. Delux has been delayed a few weeks and is pressed on HQ-180gm vinyl and is limited to 2000 copies.]

Primal Scream – Chaosmosis CD/LP (First International/Ignition)

The 11th full-length release for the veteran Scottish rock band features guest appearances from Haim, Sky Ferreira, and Rachel Zeffira. “When Primal Scream truly hit their groove, there’s no resisting the overpowering engulfing of their omnipresent psychedelic disco. Bobby Gillespie and co. are masters of hypnotics at this point, their immersive signature baggy tumult as undeniable as it is effortless. Pop music seems to have the same effect on even the musicians most estranged with commercial ethos. The allure of primitive, infectious pop songs is undying, and the Primals have finally been utterly consumed by feel-good pop on Chaosmosis.”– Under The Radar

Max Richter – Songs From Before [Reissue/2006] CD/LP+MP3 (Deutsche Grammophon)

Back in-print on CD; first-time vinyl edition. Beautifully recorded and cinematic in scope, Songs From Beforecarries a pensive, emotionally resonant tone. Punctuated by Robert Wyatt’s distinctive readings of Haruki Murakami’s text, the music evokes forgotten memories or lost histories, bittersweet articulations suspended between a dreamy sense of awe and melancholia. Richter’s compositions, created over a long period, draw from pieces ranging between 5 and 300 years old.

Soul Asylum – Change Of Fortune CD/LP (eOne Music)

“Soul Asylum always seemed to be one of the grunge era bands that got lost in the shuffle. Sure they had a handful of popular singles on the radio like ‘Runaway Train,’ ‘Misery’ and ‘Somebody To Shove’ but they were always overshadowed by the behemoths of the time. They were never the type of band that changed their sound to mimic what was going on at the time. They also continued to release new music fairly consistently since the height of their popularity in the ‘90s. Change Of Fortune is the band’s 11th studio album and it finds them embracing the kind of music that they want to play. What I like about Change Of Fortune is the abundance of rock influences found on the album. There are songs like ‘Moonshine’ and ‘Don’t Bother Me’ that remind me of Tom Petty while ‘Can’t Help It’ reminds me of a Jackyl song. You’ll also find a heavy dose of hard rock, blues and soul scattered throughout the album. Mix that with some more modern pop rock sounds and you have a perfectly blended mix of musical harmony.” – Read Junk

Spacemen 3 – Live At The New Morning, Geneva, Switzerland, 18.05.1989 CD (Space Age)

Live set Recorded during Spacemen 3’s 1989 European tour, while the band was in sublime form, Live At The New Morning further cements their reputation as one of the most influential and seminal bands of the space rock and drone rock worlds. Originally released in 2014 as a limited vinyl-only release, it is now available on CD for the first time.

Underworld – Barbara Barbara, We Face A Shining Future CD/LP (Astralwerks)

Underworld return with their ninth studio album (their first since 2010’s Barking). “Underworld have emerged from a period of looking back – they celebrated the 20th birthday of their classic debutDubnobasswithmyheadman by touring it – and decided to focus on the path ahead. As its title suggests, the dance duo’s seventh studio album is a forward-thinking affair, referencing things such as ‘celestial techno’ and ‘South American acoustics.’ Over seven tracks, Rick Smith and Karl Hyde restate their case as dance pioneers.” – The Guardian

Various Artists – Punk 45: Chaos In The City Of Angels And Devils CD/2xLP+MP3 (Soul Jazz)

Subtitled: Hollywood From X To Zero & Hardcore On The Beaches: Punk In Los Angeles 1977-1981.The sixth instalment of Soul Jazz Records’ Punk 45 series features an array of first generation Los Angeles punk bands including X, The Germs, The Zeros, The Urinals, The Weirdos through to second generation hardcore groups like The Circle Jerks, Adolescents and T.S.O.L.

Various Artists – Wayfaring Strangers: Cosmic American Music CD/2xLP (Numero)

Twang reigned, the shitkickers kicked shit, and the vaguely western-sounding guitar records piled up. Country-rock became “the dominant American rock style of the 1970s,” as Peter Doggett’s comprehensive Are You Ready For The Country put it much later. Wayfaring Strangers: Cosmic American Music picks up and dusts off golden ingots from the dollar-bin detritus of that domination, to reconstruct events as seen from the genre’s real Wild West — America’s one-off private press label substructure.

Winter Pills – Love Songs CD (Signature)

The Winterpills are back with their first album of original material in four years. Love Songs is full of those gorgeous chamber-pop songs the band has perfected over the course of their six album career. Vinyl edition due April 15.

Flying Saucer Attack – Further [Reissue/1994] LP (Drag City)

Flying Saucer Attack – Chorus [Reissue/1995] LP (Drag City)

Reissued on vinyl last year via Domino (UK), these quintessential space rock albums are back in print domestically courtesy of Drag City.

Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band – The Rarity Of Experience 2xLP (No Quarter)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. After a year of touring, The Solar Motel Band returned to the studio last spring with Jeff Ziegler (War On Drugs, Kurt Vile) to put to tape the massive and immense The Rarity of Experience. This double album (officially The Rarity Of Experience Part I & II) sees Forsyth and his band stretching out their sound beyond anywhere they’ve gone before, touching on all corners of progressive, psychedelic and post-rock.

Glitterbust – Glitterbust 2xLP/Cassette (Burger)

New project from Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth) and Alex Knost (Tomorrows Tulips).“The collaboration between Kim Gordon and Alex Knost called Glitterbust is the type of music you would wish for a legend like Gordon to be involved in during her post Sonic Youth career. It is experimental, improvisational and exciting.” –Janky Smooth

Primal Scream – Screamadelica  Reissue/1991] 2xLP (Plain)

Red & yellow color vinyl reissue of this classic dance and indie-pop album that transcends its time and influence. Winner of the first Mercury Prize (1992).

Elliott Smith – Heaven Adores You Soundtrack 2xLP (UMe)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Heaven Adores You is the soundtrack to the 2014 documentary about the life and music of indie singer/songwriter Elliott Smith. In addition to having at least one song from each of his albums, the track listing contains over a dozen previously unreleased Elliott Smith songs, spanning the length of his career.

Violent Femmes – We Can Do Anything LP+MP3 (PIAS America)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. “After 16 years, Violent Femmes’ singer and guitarist Gordon Gano and bassist Brian Ritchie have put aside their creative differences and made a full-length album, We Can Do Anything. It features the influential Milwaukee-born folk punk band in its finest form since — well, the beginning. The album was produced by Jeff Hamilton, a Milwaukee native and touring multi-instrumentalist with the band. Despite reportedly having hundreds of songs to pull from Gano’s archives, Hamilton smartly kept the album to 10 tracks, totaling 31 minutes of music. It was largely recorded with the full band performing together and with minimal post-production touches.The result is a livewire listen that doesn’t lag for a second. It’s reminiscent of the scruffy sound from its breakthrough self-titled album three decades back.On this long overdue album at least, the Femmes do give it their all.” – The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The Wainwright Sisters – Songs In The Dark 2xLP+MP3 (PIAS America)

Released last November on CD – now available on vinyl. After collaborating with members of Cibo Matto and the Dirty Three for 2012’s Come Home To Mama, folk artist Martha Wainwright is taking a more familial approach to her next LP. Specifically, she’s teamed up with sister Lucy Wainwright Roche to release an album called Songs In The Dark as, fittingly enough, the Wainwright Sisters. In addition to their own musical family tree, the folk-flecked album also includes the Wainwright Sisters’ “dark, mysterious, and beautiful” take on a number made famous by Woody Guthrie and Jimmie Rogers.