This week’s New Releases & Staff Picks 10/4/19
STAFF PICKS
Kimber – DIIV
Lindsay – Lightning Dust, Kacy and Clayton, Blood Orange
Dario – Angel Olsen
Paula – DIIV, Bill Frisell
Gabriel – Beastie Boys, Boris
JUST ANNOUNCED PRE-ORDERS
Sufjan Steven & Timo Andres – The Decalogue (pre-order)
Corridor – Junior (pre-order)
THIS WEEK’S NEW RELEASES
Angel Olsen – All Mirrors CD/2xLP (Jagjaguwar)
The descent into darkness is a trope we find time again across history, literature and film. But there’s also an abyss above. There’s a winding white staircase that goes ever upward into the great unknown – each step, each turn, requiring a greater boldness and confidence than the one before. This is the journey on which we find Angel Olsen. The singer-songwriter’s artistic beginnings as a collaborator shifted seamlessly to her magnificent, cryptic-to-cosmic solo work, and then she formed bands to play her songs, and her stages and audiences grew exponentially. But all along, Olsen was more concerned with a different kind of path, and on her vulnerable, new album, All Mirrors, we can see her taking an introspective deep dive towards internal destinations and revelations. In the process of making this album, she found a new sound and voice, a blast of fury mixed with hard won self-acceptance. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
DIIV – Deceiver CD/LP (Captured Tracks)
Rebirth takes place when everything falls apart. On DIIV’s third full-length album, Deceiver, they craft the soundtrack to personal resurrection under the heavy weight of metallic catharsis, upheld by robust guitars and vocal tension that almost snaps, but never quite. Lead single “Skin Game,” gallops forth on a clean guitar riff before unfolding into a hypnotic hook offset by an off-kilter rhythm and hummable solo. “It’s an imaginary dialogue between two characters, which could either be myself or people I know,” says Cole of “Skin Game.” “I spent six months in several different rehab facilities at the beginning of 2017. I was living with other addicts. Being a recovering addict myself, there are a lot of questions like, ‘Who are we? What is this disease?’ Our last record was about recovery in general, but I truthfully didn’t buy in. I decided to live in my disease instead. ‘Skin Game’ looks at where the pain comes from. I’m looking at the personal, physical, emotional, and broader political experiences feeding into the cycle of addiction for millions of us.” [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Wilco – Ode To Joy CD/2xLP (dBpm)
Jeff Tweedy and Co. follow-up 2016’s Schmilco and the singer/songwriter’s pair of solo albums, Warm and Warmer, with Wilco’s eleventh studio effort, Ode To Joy. Featuring 11 new songs written and produced by Tweedy and recorded by Wilco at The Loft (Chicago, IL) in January 2019, Tweedy and Glenn Kotche were the launching pad from which most of the songs on Ode To Joy materialized – Kotche’s percussion propels the music forward while Tweedy’s measured words flesh out the cleared paths. As a result, the album is comprised of “really big, big folk songs, these monolithic, brutal structures that these delicate feelings are hung on,” notes Tweedy. Across the entire album, drums pound and plod with a steady one – two pulse, meant to mimic the movement of marching – a powerful act utilized on both sides of the authoritarian wall. There’s also a sense of comfort that comes with the rhythmic marching sound. [Limited indie store exclusive pink colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Blood Orange – Angel’s Pulse CD/LP (Domino)
Angel’s Pulse is the new mixtape from Blood Orange aka Devonté Hynes. It follows the widely celebrated and critically acclaimed album Negro Swan, released last year. “My new record is called Angel’s Pulse and I performed, produced and mixed the entire thing myself,” Hynes notes. “I’m calling it a mixtape. I have a habit through the years of making records that I just give to friends, or on tape to people on the street, or no one. Usually this material is made directly after the album I’ve just put out. Somewhat of an epilogue to the thing I’ve made before. This time…I decided to release it. I put as much work and care into it as I do with the albums I’ve released, but for some reason trained myself into not releasing things the rate at which I make them. I’m older now though, and life is unpredictable and terrifying…so here you go mates. Hope you enjoy.” Guests include: Toro y Moi, Kelsey Lu, Ian Isiah, Justine Skye, Project Pat, Gangsta Boo, Tinashe, Porches, BennY RevivaL, Arca and Joba. [Indie store exclusive vinyl pressing also available.]
Kacy & Clayton – Carrying On CD/LP (New West)
The music Kacy & Clayton make is inextricable from where they grew up. They sing about the kind of people you’d find in Wood Mountain, Saskatchewan (population very few.) The hills, barns and remoteness of the area are in these songs, with a bittersweet acknowledgement that this music has taken them far from home. Carrying On follows the international acclaim for their previous records Strange Country (which Q magazine called, “A beautiful album that nudges a classic past into a brave future.) and 2017’s The Sirens Song (described by Uncut as “ageless and beguiling. A classic record for this or any other time.”) Their sound is equal parts homespun, coming from a family and community where playing music is an ever present part of social gatherings, and the rare country, blues and English folk rock these second cousins obsess over and collect. For Carrying On, Clayton cites as influences: Bobbie Gentry’s Delta Sweete, Hoyt Axton’s My Griffin Is Gone, Cajun fiddle music, and the steel guitar of Ralph Mooney who played on many of the records that defined the Bakersfield country music scene of the 1950s.
The Menzingers – Hello Exile CD/LP+MP3 (Epitaph)
Philadelphia-based punk band, The Menzingers are set to release their sixth studio album, Hello Exile. Produced by Will Yip (Title Fight, Quicksand), the album is the follow-up to the band’s 2017 critically acclaimed release After The Party. Since forming as teenagers in 2006, The Menzingers have shown their strength as rough-and-tumble storytellers, turning out songs equally rooted in frenetic energy and lifelike detail. On their new album Hello Exile, the band take their lyrical narrative to a whole new level and share their reflections on moments from the past and present: high-school hellraising, troubled relationships, aging and alcohol and political ennui. And while their songs often reveal certain painful truths, Hello Exile ultimately maintains the irrepressible spirit that’s always defined the band. The Menzingers are: singer/guitarists Greg Barnett and Tom May, bassist Eric Keen, and drummer Joe Godino.
North Mississippi Allstars – Up And Rolling CD/LP (New West)
In 2017, Wyatt McSpadden found an old roll of film and tracked down members of North Mississippi Allstars to share his forgotten photographs. The images were so profound and so beautiful that they would come to inspire the latest recording, Up And Rolling. The images inspired the band to ask, “What did the music sound like that night in ‘96? What does Mississippi music sound like now? What would ideally be on the push button AM/FM radio as we drove thru the hills?” The North Mississippi Allstars would return to the famous Zebra Ranch to record Up And Rolling, inspired by Wyatt’s images. They gathered together, trimmed back the wisteria, and swept out the converted barn recording studio. They fired up the tube amps and old computers and began conjuring up modern Mississippi music, ancient and futuristic all at once.
Penguin Cafe – Handfuls Of Night CD/LP (Erased Tapes)
Handfuls Of Night began life after Greenpeace commissioned Penguin Cafe’s Arthur Jeffes to write four pieces of music corresponding to four breeds of penguins, to help raise awareness for the endangered Antarctic seas. Using gut-stringed violins, viola, cello, bass, percussion, upright and grand pianos, synthesizer, harmonium and more, Penguin Cafe has crafted a vivid series of panoramic sonic landscapes that are as rich in cerebral poignancy as they are in emotional depth. Bookended by the atmospheric ambient piano pieces “Winter Sun” and “Midnight Sun”, Handfuls Of Night traverse’s glacial minimalism with their signature contemporary classical panoramas. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Joshua Radin – Here, Right Now CD/LP (Nettwerk)
Produced by Tony Berg with an array of guest vocalists and musicians, including Z Berg, Maria Taylor, Alex Greenwald (Phantom Planet) and Danny Burke, Here, Right Now is comprised of seven original tracks and two covers (Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” and The Rolling Stones’ “She Smiled Sweetly”) that tackle themes of broken relationships, rescue, friendship and self-determination, all delivered with Joshua Radin’s silvery, intimate tenor. The album’s title track, featuring vocals from Maria Taylor, serves as a reminder to Radin to stay focused on the present. “A delicate, whispery sunbeam of a song, Joshua Radin’s ‘Here, Right Now’ bounces light into the achy places in your heart. Gorgeously simple and unapologetic, it finds Radin pointing to his true North, both musically and personally.” – Parade
City And Colour – A Pill For Loneliness CD/2xLP (Still)
Through a kaleidoscope of lush guitars, ethereal orchestration, and heavenly delivery, City And Colour alchemically transforms life’s turbulence into waves of blissful, bold, and brilliant alternative anthems. Under this banner, singer-songwriter Dallas Green siphons serenity from stress on his sixth full-length studio album, A Pill For Loneliness. Ultimately, these 11 tracks illuminate an entrancing and engaging emotional expanse, balancing two extremes with eloquence and energy. “I wrote a lot of dark songs and wrapped them in the most beautiful sounds we could find,” he explains. Introductory single “Astronaut” lifts off on a dusty rumble of clean guitar and a steady beat. Green’s voice immediately captivates as he carries a divine and dynamic hook before an echoing solo. Elsewhere, “Strangers” hinges on a buoyant riff and hummable groove. It charges towards a ghostly refrain awash in reverb as he pleads, “Don’t wake me when this is over, just let me drift amidst my dreams.” From the slow burn build-up of “Living In Lightning”, which borrows its title from John Steinbeck’s East Of Eden, to the gorgeous last gasp of the piano-driven “Lay Me Down,” A Pill For Loneliness unlocks the catharsis hinted at by the title. [Limited indie store exclusive colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Bill Frisell – Harmony CD (Blue Note)
Acclaimed guitarist Bill Frisell has signed with Blue Note and releases his debut album for the label under his own name with Harmony, a gorgeous and evocative journey across the landscape of American music of the last century. The album features vocalist Petra Haden, cellist and vocalist Hank Roberts, and guitarist, bassist and vocalist Luke Bergman. Longtime fans will recognize Frisell’s ongoing calling to both honor the totality of American music and represent his personal history with integrity. “If I think back throughout my whole life, all the music that I’ve loved,” he says, “why can’t it all be there at the same time? You can play a Bob Dylan song and you can play a standard song or a Charlie Parker song, and they can fit together. Why not? There’s no reason why you can’t have ‘Lush Life’ and ‘Red River Valley’ on the same album. They’re both beautiful songs.” [Vinyl edition due November 8.]
Old Crow Medicine Show – Live At The Ryman CD (Old Crow Medicine Show)
Honoring the history and traditions of the legendary venue, Live From The Ryman captures the raucous energy of Old Crow Medicine Show’s performances, recorded throughout their many headlining shows on the hallowed ground of Nashville’s Mother Church. Featuring guest appearances by Lee Oskar, Margo Price, Charlie Worsham and Molly Tuttle, the 11-track collection incorporates a mix of covers and originals including traditionals like “CC Rider”, “’Will The Circle Be Unbroken” and “Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man”, to go along with OCMS classics like “Take ‘Em Away”, “Sweet Amarillo” and “Wagon Wheel”. [Vinyl edition due November 22.]
Avett Brothers – Closer Than Together CD (Republic)
New release from The Avett Brothers, their tenth studio album overall and the fifth produced by Rick Rubin on his American Recordings label. Says Seth Avett: “We didn’t make a record that was meant to comment on the sociopolitical landscape that we live in. We did, however, make an album that is obviously informed by what is happening now on a grander scale all around us… because we are a part of it and it is a part of us. Closer Than Together is a record of obvious American origin – a creation that fittingly could only come about through hard work, measured freedom, awe-inspiring landscapes, and perfectly flawed individualism.” [Vinyl edition due December 13.]
The Beastie Boys – Root Down [Reissue/1995] 2xLP (Capitol)
The Root Down EP from Beastie Boys was released in 1995. The first three tracks are variations of the track “Root Down”, and the remaining seven tracks were recorded live in Europe, winter 1995. Out of print for years, this has been repressed.
Pop futurist Charli XCX has returned with her highly anticipated third studio album Charli. The album is a collection of 15 songs and features the hit singles “1999” (featuring Troye Sivan) and “Blame It On Your Love” (featuring Lizzo). The album also features collaborations with Christine and the Queens, Haim, Sky Ferreria, Big Freida, Clairo and more. [Limited edition colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Gatekeeper – Deserted CD/LP (Relapse)
Gatecreeper return with their new album – a furious mix of snarling guitars and driving, rhythmic pummeling that takes death metal from its ‘80s Floridian roots and 90’s Swedish expansion straight into the here and now.
GospelbeacH – Let It Burn CD/LP (Alive)
“Cultivated from the melodious mind of founding member Brent Rademaker and evolved from the kaleidoscopic California music scene, GospelbeacH blends country folk with modern rock ‘n’ roll to produce inviting melodies and harmonies” – Cowboys & Indians Magazine
Lightning Dust – Spectre CD/LP (Western Vinyl)
Lightning Dust is the duo of Canadian musician Amber Webber and Josh Wells, who are both former members of Black Mountain. Spectre is their first new album in six years.
Wives – So Removed CD/LP (City Slang)
Queens, NY four-piece Wives is the latest fit into a long lineage of New Yorks gritty, melodic-meets-punk. So Removed is hook-driven, grungy dark-wave tethered to daily anxiety without resorting to cynicism. The noisy dissonance of Sonic Youth, the edgy hooks of early Pixies, and the clever, cerebral sneering of the Fall simmer as touchstones within the LP, sharp and prodding at the details, pulsing with urgency.
Boris – Akuma No Uta [Reissue/2003] LP (Third Man)
Boris – Boris At Last – Feedbacker [Reissue/2003] LP (Third Man)
Boris – LφVE & EVφL 2xLP (Third Man)
LφVE & EVφL exists as two independent works, encapsulating conflicting connotations that interweave and become intricately entangled with one another, gradually eroding before becoming utterly singular. Continuing to tinker and toil with their sound since the 2017 release of Dear, Boris has pivoted onward a more organic, non-grid literary style. In tandem with this new release, Third Man has reissued a pair of 2003 releases available for first time on vinyl in the US.
Clairo – Immunity LP (FADER Label)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Clairo, the moniker of 20-year-old multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer Claire Cottrill, drops her debut album, Immunity. Following-up her debut EP Diary 001, which featured the hit singles “Pretty Girl”, “Flamin’ Hot Cheetos” and “4EVER”, Immunity sees Clairo team up with co-producer Rostam (Vampire Weekend) in a stunning glimpse into an artist’s growth. Lead single “Bags” is a delicate and delightfully weird taste of the record; the gently strummed track builds to a peak augmented by warped guitars and piano. Quite different from the jangled angst of “Bags”, second single “Closer To You” finds Clairo emoting her desire through autotune and a stark, burgeoning beat.
Gorillaz – Demon Days [Reissue/2005] 2xLP (Parlophone)
Gorillaz – Plastic Beach [Reissue/2010] 2xLP (Parlophone)
Vinyl reissues of Gorillaz second and third albums. Demon Days was produced by the band, Danger Mouse, Jason Cox, and James Dring, and features contributions from de la Soul, Neneh Cherry, Martina Topley-Bird, Roots Manuva, MF Doom, Ike Turner, Bootie Brown of the Pharcyde, Shaun Ryder, and Dennis Hopper. Plastic Beach was produced primarily by group co-creator Damon Albarn and features guest appearances by such artists as Snoop Dogg, Gruff Rhys, de la Soul, Bobby Womack, Mos Def, Lou Reed, Mick Jones, Mark E. Smith, Paul Simonon, Bashy, Kano, Little Dragon, and the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble.
Massive Attack – Massive Attack v Mad Professor Part II Mezzanine Remix Tapes ’98 LP (Virgin)
These radical re-workings by Mad Professor originally created in 1998 include “Teardrop”, “Angel” and “Inertia Creeps” as well as rarities “Wire” and “Superpredators”. The sleeve, designed by Robert Del Naja and Tom Hingston, features original artwork from Brute!’s Aiden Hughes.
Tyler, The Creator – Igor LP(Sony)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Produced entirely by Tyler, Igor features guest appearances from Playboi Carti, Lil Uzi Vert, Solange, Kanye West, and Jerrod Carmichael, along with backing vocals from Santigold, Jessy Wilson, La Roux, CeeLo Green, Charlie Wilson, Slowthai, and Pharrell, among others.
Thom Yorke, Flea, & Wynton Marsalis – Daily Battles From Motherless Brooklyn 7” (WaterTower Music)
Daily Battles was written by Thom Yorke (Radiohead, Atoms For Peace) for Motherless Brooklyn the film directed, written by, produced by and starring Edward Norton. The film features two versions of the song, each performed by musical icons of modern music. Thom Yorke along with Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Atoms For Peace) performs a sparse and emotionally stunning version of the song. The other version of Daily Battles was arranged and performed by jazz trumpet icon Wynton Marsalis, who, along with his hand-picked quintet of heavy-hitter-jazz-stalwarts delivers an instant jazz standard version of the song that conjures images of the ‘50s-era gin-soaked Harlem jazz club seen in the film.
