The Cinematic Orchestra – To Believe CD/2xLP+MP3 (Domino)
Born out of the band’s latest formation, To Believe is a creative partnership between founder Jason Swinscoe and longtime friend and collaborator Dom Smith, along with an extended family of regular bandmates and collaborators. Guided by a communal spirit, the changing members are consistent with their ethos, where no individual ego takes precedence. Guest vocalists include the art-soul singer Moses Sumney, legendary UK rapper Roots Manuva, longtime vocal collaborator Heidi Vogel and many more. To Believe is the product of a long period of gestation, a reflection of the kind of album they wanted to make – the kind of album, that is, they’ve always made: deep, textured, and layered with meaning. With artwork by The Designers Republic and mixed by 15-time Grammy Winner Tom Elmhirst, at the legendary Electric Lady studio built by Jimi Hendrix, it’s a masterful return that stands as their most definitive statement as a group.

The Faint – Egowerk CD/LP (Saddle Creek)
The group that ignited an electro-pop-punk movement is back with an 11-track deep-dive into themes on modern society, the internet, and ego – specifically social media and its dark effects. Opener “Child Asleep” echoes well-loved Faint singles from the Danse Macabre days, with rapid-fire techno beats that sear so hot, your forehead will break into a sweat regardless of proximity to a dance floor. And though the synths should sound familiar to any Faint follower, the song’s monotone message is at once classic and current. It’s been four years since The Faint dropped a proper studio album, and more than two decades since they first tore onto the Midwest scene, alongside area staples Cursive and Bright Eyes, with anxious electro-pop-punk anthems that meshed doomsday themes with thudding dance-floor hooks.

Karen O & Danger Mouse – Lux Prima CD/LP (BMG)
Lux Prima is the first release from iconic Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O and legendary musician-producer Danger Mouse. The two originally met to discuss collaboration in 2007 as mutual admirers, but in 2015, they got serious and made a plan – entering the studio with no sonic parameters and a handful of references – Lux Prima was born. “Title track ‘Lux Prima’ is the first song we wrote for the record,” says O. “After making music for the past twenty years and embarking on making this record with Danger Mouse I knew a couple things: one was that the spirit of collaboration between us was going to be a pure one, and two was that the more I live the less is clear to me. When you create from a blurry place you can go places further than you’ve ever been. I think we both were excited to go far out.”

Snarky Puppy – Immigrance CD (Ground Up Music)
Immigrance, the twelfth Snarky Puppy studio album, is all about movement. “The idea here is that everything is fluid, that everything is always moving and that we’re all in a constant state of immigration,” explains Michael League. “Obviously the album’s title is not without political undertones.” Like the Grammy-winning Culcha Vulcha, Immigrance is a studio project, and it features most of the same musicians. And though it shares that project’s ace musicianship and dynamic, kinetic spirit, it is also rawer and moodier than its predecessor. Several of the compositions put a newfound emphasis on delivering simpler, streamlined impact. With Immigrance, Snarky Puppy is essentially practicing what it’s preached all along: People from different places can bring their various strengths and experiences, and that can be beautiful and cohesive. The band itself is a representation of that musical expression.

Todd Snider – Cash Cabin Sessions, Vol. 3 CD (Aimless)
After six years of making rock records, Cash Cabin Sessions, Vol. 3’s folk influence marks a departure. The album was inspired by a recurring dream Todd Snider had involving Johnny Cash and was recorded at the legend’s Cash Cabin Studio. Snider has long been recognized as one of his generation’s most gifted and engaging songwriters, so it’s no surprise he has returned with a brilliant set of songs – and make no mistake, Cash Cabin Sessions, Vol. 3 contains some of his best work as a writer. But what really jumps out on the album is Snider’s growth as a musician and vocalist. He plays all the instruments on the record, and his guitar work and harmonica playing are nothing short of exceptional; not only full of feeling, but highly skilled. In regards to his guitar playing on the record, Snider says he wanted to take everything he’s learned over the past 30 years and play the way he used to play really well.

Finn Andrews – One Piece At A Time CD/LP (Nettwerk)
British/New Zealand musician, and lead singer and songwriter of The Veils, Finn Andrews reveals his most personal songwriting to date with the release of his first solo material. The resulting songs are some of the most profound and intimate pieces of work Andrews’ has done. Recorded at The Lab in Auckland, and co-produced by Tom Healy (Tiny Ruins), not only do the songs’ subject matter expose more of his life than before, Andrews also admits that their arrangements allowed for less to hide behind, showcasing his voice in a different way.

Blaqk Audio – Only Things We Love CD/LP (BMG Rights Management)
New album by Blaqk Audio by the electronic alter ego of AFI’s Davey Havok and Jade Puget. The futurepop elements of Blaqk Audio have a greater representation on this album than they did on the last. Synthpop and electropop still make up most of the record, yet these tracks have a uniquely modern feel.

Bouncing Souls – Crucial Moments CD EP/12” (Rise)
You can count the number of bands who’ve stayed together for 30 years on two hands, and you can use just one to count those who’ve consistently released quality material for the duration of those three decades. The Bouncing Souls are a part of this esteemed category, and in keeping with their D.I.Y. punk roots, they’ve done it without a major label or corporate radio. With their new EP Crucial Moments, they show just why they’ve become one of the most respected and appreciated punk bands of all time.

Brian Jonestown Massacre – Brian Jonestown Massacre CD/LP (A. Records)
The non-stop Brian Jonestown Massacre machine rolls into 2019 with the release of their eighteenth full-length album, just seven months after 2018’s Something Else. The self-titled 9-track effort features Sara Neidorf on drums, Heike Rädeker (LeVent) on bass, Hákon Aðalsteinsson (BJM/Third Sound/Gunman & The Holy Ghost) on guitar and Newcombe on multiple instruments. Also making a guest vocal appearance on “Tombes Oubliées” is Friederike Bienert who has sung on previous BJM albums.

The Fall – Bend Sinister/The Domesday Pay-Off Triad-Plus! [Reissue/1986/1987] CD/LP (Beggars Banquet)
Bend Sinister is The Fall’s ninth studio album and it was originally released in 1986. It was the last of three albums in a row produced by John Leckie and was named after a dystopian novel by Vladimir Nabokov. “Part musical hypnotist, part ranting mad- man, Smith was a singular figure in post-punk. His Mancunian accent, dry witticisms and plays on words were one of the Fall’s most constant characteristics. Their songs were odysseys into his ever-verbose psyche, marked by repetitive rhythms and melodies.” – Rolling Stone

Vijay Iyer/Craig Taborn – The Transitory Poems CD (ECM)
Vijay Iyer and Craig Taborn, two of creative music’s most resourceful players, learned to meld and mesh their artistic approaches inside Roscoe Mitchell’s Note Factory ensemble (as documented on Mitchell’s 2007 recording Far Side). Since then, Iyer and Taborn have continued to play concerts together. The Transitory Poems, recorded live at the Franz Liszt Academy, Budapest in March 2018, is their first duo album. A marvel of shared invention, it incorporates pieces offered as tributes to formative influences including pianists Cecil Taylor, Muhal Richard Abrams and Geri Allen, and the painter and sculptor Jack Whitten.

Stephen Malkmus – Groove Denied CD/LP+MP3 (Matador)
Following hot on the heels of 2018’s Sparkle Hard comes Groove Denied, the rejected album Stephen has been telling everyone about. Groove Denied was written in Berlin and Oregon between Malkmus’ soundtrack to the Netflix series Flaked and Sparkle Hard. It finds Stephen in a playful, exploratory mode – recorded by himself in Oregon; Malkmus plays bass, organ, drum machines, a Roland 2080 and a Memorymoog alongside other instruments interspersed with loops and vocal effects. His first album as a solo artist since 2001, Groove Denied is a fine companion to Sparkle Hard, echoing the experimentation (Auto-Tune, genre-dabbling) found there.

Matmos – Plastic Anniversary CD/LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
Matmos’ new album, Plastic Anniversary, was created using only plastic. Highlighting the crises of convenience, the duo makes music from our refuse. True to form, Matmos have assembled a promiscuous array of examples of this sturdy-yet-ersatz family of materials: dominos, styrofoam coolers, police riot shields, polyethylene waste containers, PVC panpipes, pinpricks of bubble wrap, pills, silicone gel breast implants and most horrifically synthetic human fat.

Over The Rhine – Love & Revelation CD (Great Speckled Dog)
Critically acclaimed husband and wife duo Over The Rhine celebrates 30 years of making understated yet emotionally-charged music with Love & Revelation. Self-produced and releasing on their own Great Speckled Dog label, Over The Rhine’s first new music in four years finds the beloved duo in a deeply reflective place, contemplating both personal loss and the wavering of Americas collective compass.

X – Los Angeles [Reissue/1980] CD/LP (Fat Possum)
Recently reissued by Fat Possum on vinyl – now available on CD. Four decades after their inception, one thing is clear: X was not only one of the most influential bands to crash out of the punk movement of the late ’70s, but the group’s music continues to be sonically groundbreaking today.

Devo – Turn Around: B-Sides & More (1978-1984) LP (Run Out Groove)
Limited 180gm colored vinyl LP pressing. Hard-to-find and unique tracks collected from 7” and 12” singles.

Hot Water Music ‎– The New What Next [Reissue/2004] LP (Epitaph)
Limited colored vinyl LP pressing. In 2019, Hot Water Music celebrates their 25th anniversary as a band and will tour the world performing tracks from their entire catalog. Epitaph Records has repressed three of the band’s albums on colored vinyl including 2001’s A Flight and A Crash, 2002’s Caution, and now, 2004’s The New What Next – Hot Water Music’s third album for Epitaph, and their last before a lengthy hiatus.

Jukebox The Ghost – Let Live & Let Ghosts [Reissue/2008] LP+MP3 (Yep Roc)
For the ten-year anniversary of Jukebox The Ghost’s debut album, Yep Roc has given the album the deluxe treatment. Remastered and pressed on colored vinyl with a band poster, the LP also includes a digital download code for the full remastered album along with a download of unreleased session tracks recorded by the band.