Jherek Bischoff – Cistern CD (Leaf)

Second album by prodigiously talented multi-instrumentalist and composer Jherek Bischoff. Gloriously cinematic, these modern orchestral recordings pull at the heartstrings. It comes hot on the heels of Strung Out In Heaven, a moving string quartet tribute to David Bowie, conceived with Amanda Palmer and featuring the significant talents of Anna Calvi, John Cameron Mitchell and Neil Gaiman. A prolific and divergent collaborator, working with the likes of David Byrne, The Kronos Quartet, Caetano Veloso, XiuXiu and Australian star Missy Higgins, the real Bischoff can be difficult to pin down, but Cistern is an intensely personal work. [Vinyl edition due July 29.]

Michael Kiwanuka – Love And Hate CD/2xLP (Interscope)

Michael Kiwanuka’s second album Love & Hate was recorded in L.A. and London, and was produced by Danger Mouse and young up-and-coming producer Inflo. It is a fascinatingly assured and resonant body of work following Kiwanuka’s acclaimed 2012 debut LP, Home Again. “Released at the start of a summer in which hate, division and anxiety have felt so unusually prominent, Michael Kiwanuka’s second studio album Love & Hate is bound to resonate. Musically, there are obvious similarities to be drawn with the Motown sound with no shortage of tambourines, congas or strings. With some tracks adding liberal amounts of reverb, organs and slide guitar to the mix things occasionally seem slightly psychedelic, slightly Phil Spector influenced. But thanks to the deft production of Danger Mouse it’s not a sound you’ll feel overly familiar with. Central to all the tracks are the tightly plucked bass lines and bright snapping snares that make every groove he touches so irresistibly catchy.” – The Line Of Best Fit

NEEDTOBREATHE – H A R D L O V E CD (Atlantic)

NEEDTOBREATHE’s last outing, Rivers In The Wasteland, was a career-defining album, born out of the trials of brotherly competition and the fatigue of life on the road (which almost did the entire band in). Having weathered the storm and written about it so masterfully, the follow-up record, H A R D L O V E, feels like a continuation of this theme, albeit with a bit more time and distance giving the band some perspective and breathing room. With an ‘80s college-rock vibe (think The Cure or Talking Heads), ‘Hard Love’ is an album highlight right off the bat, and an interesting new flavor for the guys from South Carolina.” – Jesus Freak Hideout

Jack and Amanda Palmer – You Got Me Singing CD/LP (Cooking Vinyl)

Jack Palmer, who is 72 and sings choral music regularly for the National Cathedral in Washington DC, says “I believe nothing is more powerful than love, and that nothing expresses it better than singing. It was one of Amanda’s songs that began healing our fractured relationship. Years later, I hope the love that went into this project will perhaps touch listeners in the same way.” Amanda Palmer and (her father) Jack Palmer present You Got Me Singing, a lovingly assembled family affair. Amanda sings, and plays piano and ukulele, and Jack, a semi-professional choral singer, plays guitar and lends his rich bass voice to a variety of cover songs that span decades. “The main inspiration behind this record was to share songs and time with my dad,” says Amanda, who was separated from her father when she was less than a year old. “It was a really good reason to spend healing time together, sharing our musical histories, all poetically punctuated by the fact that I was 7 months pregnant when we recorded. I knew that from my post at the mixing desk and the mic, this music was being heard in the womb, and so the song selection was really important… we didn’t want this album to sound corny, we wanted it to sound like the connective tissue between three generations. The songs had to be simple.”

The Temperance Movement – White Bear CD (Fantasy)

Meet White Bear, the raucous new rock ‘n’ roll animal from The Temperance Movement. Based in London and Glasgow, The Temperance Movement is a four-piece band featuring front man Phil Campbell, bassist Nick Fyffe, guitarist Paul Sayer, and drummer Damon Wilson. Prior to forming the band, the members each played and performed with prominent acts including Deep Purple, Jamiroquai, Ray Davies, The Waterboys, Jack Bruce and even James Brown. When the friends got together for a jam in 2011, everything they’d experienced as sidemen and session men coalesced, and The Temperance Movement was born. 2012’s five-track Pride EP introduced them to the world, and their debut studio album, 2014’s The Temperance Movement announced the arrival of a major rock band. White Bear is their giant step forward. This US release contains the two bonus tracks “Do The Revelation” and “Time Won’t Leave.”

Various Artists – Classic Folk Songs For Kids From Smithsonian Folkways CD (Smithsonian Folkways)

In Classic Folk Songs For Kids, curator Jeff Place culls a cross-section of 26 classics from the Smithsonian Folkways vaults to tell an intriguing story of American signature sing-alongs. The songs’ origins are as fascinating as the songs are fun: centuries-old European ballads, an American Revolutionary tune, 19th-century American folksongs, African-derived game songs, a sea chantey, a railroad jingle, camp songs, and even an opera song! And the singers themselves are a who’s who of American folk music artistry—Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Cisco Houston, Suni Paz, Tom Glazer, Lord Invader, and many more. 56 minutes, 40-page booklet with lyrics.

Big Business – Command Your Weather LP (Joyful Noise) 

Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. Recorded in Joshua Tree, CA,Command Your Weather sees Big Business return to its original two-man lineup of Jared Warren and Coady Willis. It is a haunting dream about the struggle for dominance of will over the power and unpredictability of nature. Or it is just a really great rock record – it depends on how weird you’re willing to get.

Oddisee – Alwasta LP (Mellow Music Group) 

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Sudanese-American hip-hop artistOddisee’s new EP takes its title from the Arabic coloquial term used to mean (to use colloquial English) “the plug.” The term “wasta” comes from the Arabic word “wasat,” meaning “middle” or “middleman,” and describes a member of the community who acts as a connector using their wealth of social currency. Understanding the value of social currency and how to use it (for better or worse) is what Amir Elkhalifa aka Oddiseefocused on as the primary inspiration for his lyrics. “Oddisee’s Alwasta is no-skip music to ride to” – Stereogum

Sonic Youth – Murray Street [Reissue/2002] LP (Geffen)

Sonic Youth–Sonic Nurse [Reissue/2004] 2xLP (Geffen)

Sonic Youth– Rather Ripped [Reissue/2006] LP (Geffen)

Remastered from the from the original stereo analog master tapes on and pressed on high-grade vinyl.