This Week’s New Releases & Staff Picks – 7/12/2019
STAFF PICKS
Kimber – Love Language reissue, Khruangbin
Lindsay – Purple Mountains, Tiny Changes compilation
Dario – Metz
Paula – Khruangbin
JUST ANNOUNCED PRE-ORDERS
Bon Iver – i,i (pre-order)
THIS WEEK’S NEW RELEASES
Purple Mountains – Purple Mountains CD/LP/Cassette (Drag City)
After a decade in the wilderness, David Berman has returned to record-making – this time around as Purple Mountains, leaving his iconic Silver Jews brand to history. Fortunately for all
the fans, he’s retained his iconic songwriting style, with a new batch of tunes conveying an astonishing variety of 21st-century mid-life crises.
Various Artists – Tiny Changes: A Celebration Of Frightened Rabbit’s The Midnight Organ Fight CD/LP (Canvasback Music/Atlantic)
Recorded in 2018 to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the acclaimed Scottish band Frightened Rabbit’s seminal album The Midnight Organ Fight, friends – including The National’s Aaron Dessner and Chvrches’ Lauren Mayberry, The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn, Katie Harkin & Sarah Silverman, Manchester Orchestra, and Death Cab For Cutie’s Benjamin Gibbard, among others – contributed their own renditions of every track on the original 2008 release.
Khruangbin – Hasta El Cielo LP (Dead Oceans)
Globetrotting Texan trio Khruangbin release a dub version of their second album Con Todo El Mundo. The band’s exotic, spacious, psychedelic funk aligns with the dub treatment particularly well. Includes two bonus dubs by renowned Jamaican producer Scientist.
BANKS – III CD/LP (Harvest)
The result of a self-imposed period of quiet and reflection, brooding pop singer Banks returns with her third album III and first full-length effort since 2016’s The Altar. “This album is an ode to my journey,” the artist explains. “It documents a major growth spurt. Of self-acceptance, letting go, forgiveness, and deep love. It has been painful to realize that life is not black and white. Romanticism leads to fierce reality checks, which leads to wisdom, which leads to deeper empathy which leads to greater love. This album documents the cycle.” The album’s first single “Gimme” “feels kind of like a slap in the face,” she says, explaining that it’s “about having no shame in who you are and being proud of your own desires.” Banks’ music has always been bold, shadowy and self-empowering, but “Gimme” is a decidedly more aggressive beast than any of her previous songs, from its wobbling bass bombs to its unapologetically direct lyrics.
Bleached – Don’t You Think You’ve Had Enough? CD/LP/Cassette (Dead Oceans)
Don’t You Think You’ve Had Enough? is what Jennifer Clavin asked herself when she hit a turning point in her life. It’s also the title of the new record from Bleached, Jessie and Jennifer Clavin’s first LP written from a place of sobriety. That newfound perspective serves as the guiding force, yielding a courageous, honest, and sonically ambitious album. It’s a record about fighting both literally and figuratively for your life – and the clarity born from that struggle. The album glimmers with inspiration found in touring with the likes of The Damned and Paramore. That arena- ready pop, incisively catchy, was a palpable influence helping to push Bleached’s sound in a new direction.
Kyle Craft – Showboat Honey CD/LP+MP3 (Sub Pop)
There is this curious equilibrium to existence: In order to create balance, the universe must giveth, and the universe must taketh. Kyle Craft, along with his now solidified backing band dubbed Showboat Honey, know this all too well. And therefore, their self-titled album – the contemplative yet restless Showboat Honey – reflects that sturm und drang. “This is basically an album centered around bad luck and good fortune hitting at the same time,” Craft explains. “Then, out of nowhere, I find love. Everything went to shit except that. I guess that’s how life works.” Though aesthetics veer from song to song, Showboat Honey’s steadfast formula remains the same. Drummer Haven Mutlz holds down the machine with a ‘60s/’70s fast-molasses groove that locks in with the slinky rolling bass of Billy Slater. When Kevin Clark isn’t bouncing across the piano, his mellotron strings swell in and out of frame. Jack of all trades Ben Steinmetz’s organ parts well up from the deep of the songs, while lead guitarist Jeremy Kale’s solos rip through them like electricity.
Drab Majesty – Modern Mirror CD/LP (Dais)
Drab Majesty’s third album, Modern Mirror, is a journey of self-reflection, nostalgia, love, beauty, and heartbreak told across eight addictive and emotional synth pop anthems – a seemingly classic tale delivered unblinkingly through the frame of the modern world.
Gauche – A People’s History Of Gauche CD/LP+MP3 (Merge)
Washington, DC’s Gauche present A People’s History Of Gauche, a collective catharsis of anger, frustration, and trauma through creativity. Jason P Barnett, Adrienne CN Berry, Mary Jane Regalado, Pearie Sol, and Daniele Yandel find their agency and joy through creating and performing music together in 36 minutes of groove-filled power punk. Gauche bring us
music and movement and struggle and light, and now it is our job to dance.
Gomez – Liquid Skin [Reissue/1999] 2xCD/2xLP (Virgin)
Digitally remastered and expanded 20th anniversary edition of Gomez’s sophomore album, Liquid Skin. The set includes five previously unreleased tracks, four previously unreleased alternate versions and nine live tracks recorded at The Fillmore in San Francisco in 2000.
Imperial Teen – Now We Are Timeless CD/LP+MP3 (Merge)
Imperial Teen includes members of Faith No More (Roddy Bottum), The Dicks (Lynn Perko Truell), Hey Willpower (Will Schwartz) and The Wrecks (Jone Stebbins). Their releases over the past 20+ years have been pointed and specific diaries of musical celebration, windows into the hypersensitive personal drama of relationships within the band, individual conquests and failures, and collective, aspirational hopes, dreams, and perspectives. Roddy Bottum, Will Schwartz, Jone Stebbins, and Lynn Perko Truell— who they’ve become, how they are dealing, and what their lives are in 2019—all of this is on Imperial Teen’s new release Now We Are Timeless. Themes of time and movement, averting and succumbing to crisis, dealing with loss and pain are all represented on the record, but what rings triumphant is the undeniable joy and catharsis that come from the band’s spontaneous and improvisational approach to making music together.
METZ – Automat CD/LP+MP3 (Sub Pop)
A collection of non-album singles, B-sides, and rarities dating back to 2009. METZ, the delightfully noisy three-piece punk band from Toronto, have been laying waste to stages around the globe for over 10 years. During that tumultuous chunk of time the band has cemented their reputation as one of the planet’s most exhilarating live acts and trusted providers of bombastic outsider rock.
New Order + Liam Gillick –∑ (No,12k,Lg,17Mif) So it goes.. 2xCD/3xLP (Mute)
Recorded live in concert at Manchester International Festival, Old Granada Studios, Manchester, UK on July 15, 2017.
We Were Promised Jetpacks – These Four Walls [Reissue/2009] 2xLP (FatCat)
To celebrate their debut album’s 10th birthday, and just in time for their upcoming US tour this summer, We Were Promised Jetpacks release an expanded anniversary gold colored vinyl edition of These Four Walls, including eight previously unreleased tracks.
Tycho – Weather CD/LP (Mom + Pop)
Tycho is the Grammy-nominated electronic music project led by Scott Hansen as primary composer, songwriter and producer. Respected for both their musical output and Scott’s graphic design work under the ISO50 moniker, Tycho has drawn comparisons to of Boards Of Canada, Ulrich Schnauss and Jon Hopkins. Weather is an exciting progression from his previous output, with most of the new tracks featuring vocals.
Uzeda – Quocumque Jeceris Stabit CD/LP+MP3 (Temporary Residence)
Uzeda – a national treasure of Italy’s underground rock scene, and one of the longest-running punk bands on the planet – returns with their first new album in 13 years. The album’s title, Quocumque Jeceris Stabit comes from the famous inspiration phrase that loosely translates in English to “Wherever you throw it, it will stand” – a testament to the resilience and adaptability of the band.
Lizzo – Cuz I Love You [Deluxe Edition] CD (Nice Life/Atlantic)
Deluxe edition includes three bonus tracks. Channeling boundless self-confidence through a downright earth-quaking voice, colorful persona, and undeniable star power, Lizzo struts into the spotlight and steps up with a whole lot of sass, spirit, and soul. Embracing her vocal range like never before and celebrating herself to the fullest, she speaks her mind, censors nothing, and delivers an enviable level of honesty, pure passion, and fresh fire. Like a diamond, she’s multi-faceted, and Cuz I Love You reflects all her sides; the broken-hearted ballad (“Jerome”), the dance club banger (“Tempo”), the sisterhood anthem (“Like A Girl”), the cocky ode to loving yourself (“Soulmate”), a gospel song that will take you to the church of Lizzo (“Heaven Help Me”), and a sexy slow jam tossed in for good measure (“Lingerie”). Every song is infused with her high-voltage personality, making each song feel like a secret message sent just to you.
Ed Sheeran – No.6 Collaboration Project CD/2xLP (Atlantic)
“Before I was signed in 2011, I made an EP called No.5 Collaborations Project,” Ed Sheeran notes on his newest release, No.6 Collaborations Project. “Since then, I’ve always wanted to do another, so I started No.6 on my laptop when I was on tour last year. I’m a huge fan of all the artists I’ve collaborated with and It’s been a lot of fun to make.” The 15-track offering features collaborations with Khalid (“Beautiful People”), Camila Cabello & Cardi B (“South Of The Border”), Chance The Rapper & PnB Rock (“Cross Me”), Stormzy (“Take Me Back To London”), YEBBA (“Best Part Of Me”), Justin Bieber (“I Don’t Care”), 50 Cent & Eminem (“Remember The Name”), J Hus & Young Thug (“Feels”), Ella Mai (“Put It All On Me”), Dave & Paulo Londra (“Nothing On You”), H.E.R. (“I Don’t Want Your Money”), A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie & Meek Mill (“1000 Nights”), Skrillex (“Way To Break My Heart”), and Chris Stapleton & Bruno Mars (“BLOW”).
K. Flay – Solutions CD/LP (Atlantic)
When facing the daily maelstrom of concerns, complaints, and calamities in the news, in conversation, and in social media posts, a smile signals real rebellion. Eschewing self-centered woe and melancholy-for-the-sake-of-
Kool Keith – Keith CD (Mellow Music)
It’s been more than forty years since Kool Herc starting throwing parties in the South Bronx, and so you could forgive the casual fan for thinking that nearly every permutation of hip-hop has already been explored. But Keith, the new album from the iconic rapper Kool Keith and the master producer Psycho Les argues just the opposite: that what’s absurdly funny can also be sinister and strange, that the form can still be broken in new and radical ways.
Tijuana Panthers – Carpet Denim CD/LP+MP3 (Innovative Leisure)
Combining their signature surf rock with new experimentations in sound, Carpet Denim is the culmination of nearly three years of work and the band’s subconscious evolution into deeper, more personal places.
Torche – Admission CD/LP (Relapse)
Fifteen years into their career, Torche has established themselves as a cornerstone of American heavy rock. On new album Admission, the band’s unforgettable vocal harmonies are met with hook-driven, pop sensibilities that propel the music to new heights.
Boy Harsher – Come Closer 12” (Nude Club)
Boy Harsher – Tears 12” (Nude Club)
On the heels of the critical and commercial success of the band’s last album Careful, Boy Harsher return with a pair of remix 12”s.
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Black Star Dancing 12” (Caroline)
The Black Star Dancing EP is a change of pace for Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, combining a more electronic sound with some eminently danceable rhythms.
The Love Language – The Love Language [Reissue/2009] LP+MP3 (Merge)
This vinyl reissue marks the 10th anniversary of The Love Language’s long-out-of-print debut album. This one-time pressing on opaque yellow vinyl features updated art, full lyrics printed on a heavyweight inner sleeve, and a jacket with spot gloss details. It also includes digital bonus tracks.
Pottery – No. 1 LP (PTKF)
Initially bonding over artists such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Devo, Montreal’s Pottery creates a sound that combines eclectic traces of post-punk, pop, and dance music, forming an unusual atmosphere that envelopes audiences.