Mekons – Deserted CD/LP (Bloodshot)
Emboldened by a sold-out tour and a surge of interest in the States after the release of the documentary Revenge Of The Mekons, Mekons retreated to the fringes of Joshua Tree National Park and popular culture to record their new album Deserted. The long-running, genre-hopping, impossible-to-kill British folk-punk collective summoned the forces of magic, fear and superstition for an album of shifting sand Sturm und Drang. It is at once a distorted howl into the emptiness of space as well as a quiet submission to the shimmering allure of a mirage. The heat and endless horizon can lead to madness or clarity, and while there is relief when the sun goes down you know the deep chill is not far off.

Son Volt – Union CD/LP (Transmit Sound)
Jay Farrar channels folk music’s enduring legacy of the troubadour on Son Volt’s ninth studio album, Union. “There are so many forces driving our country apart,” observes Farrar. “What can we do to bring our society back together?” Initially intended to be an entirely political statement, Union morphed into a combination of politically inspired material balanced by a cluster of new songs reflecting the power of love, time and music that sustains us. “While Rome Burns” emphasizes finding unity during times of turmoil while an album highlight, “Devil May Care”, offers the distraction we need, an effusive tribute to the fun of playing and creating music. A unique aspect of Union is that eight of the thirteen songs were recorded at places associated with two figures in American history whom Farrar considers important – labor and community organizer Mary Harris “Mother Jones” and iconic folk hero Woody Guthrie. The album features long time band members Mark Spencer (piano, organ, acoustic slide, lap steel, backing vocals) Andrew DuPlantis (bass, backing vocals), returning member Chris Frame (guitar), as well as newest member Mark Patterson on drums and percussion.

The Strumbellas – Rattlesnake CD/LP (Glassnote)
Rattlesnake is the fourth studio album from The Strumbellas, a six-piece collective who rocketed to success with the breakthrough hit “Spirits”. For the group, Rattlesnake marks a stylistic turn from their melancholy, introspective releases. While staying true to their roots, the band has delivered an album that elicits the feelings of joy and the promise of hope. “A lot of our music is known for being dark,” says Ritter. “I like that people can turn to our music in dark times, but we were interested in seeing whether we could make something a little more hopeful and positive. I think the song has a more positive feel than our previous stuff.” Lead single “Salvation” is a decidedly notable pivot towards pop for The Strumbellas, which describes itself as a primarily “country, folky band.” But they also explain that they’re “pop music junkies,” and that their catalog has been edging towards an increasingly accessible sound from the start.

Chris Cohen – Chris Cohen CD/LP (Captured Tracks)
Chris Cohen’s songs initially sound easy. They’re each tiny jewels that unfurl at a leisurely pace, but dig a little deeper and you’ll reach a melancholy core. His previous two albums – 2012’s Overgrown Path and 2016’s As If Apart – were built from lush, blurry tracks that embedded themselves in your subconscious, like they’d always been there. Chris Cohen, his eponymous third solo album, is a thoughtful, accomplished meditation on life and family, backed by dusky instrumentation influenced by the late evening beauty of Pat Metheny’s Falcon And The Snowman soundtrack, and Thomas Dolby’s Golden Age Of Wireless.

Billie Eilish – When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? CD/LP (Darkroom/Interscope)
Debut album from the seventeen-year-old Los Angeles pop songsmith.

Fennesz – Agora CD (Touch)
Agora is Christian Fennesz’s first solo album since Mahler Remix and Bécs (both released in 2014). He uses guitar and computer to create shimmering, swirling electronic sound of enormous range and complex musicality. His lush and luminous compositions are anything but sterile computer experiments. They resemble sensitive, telescopic recordings of rainforest insect life or natural atmospheric occurrences, an inherent naturalism permeating each piece.

Ben Folds – Live At MySpace CD/LP (Real Gone Music)
Recorded in 2007, Live At MySpace features Ben Folds in front of a small audience housed in a custom set built in his home studio in Tennessee. He performed songs from his third and latest solo album, Supersunnyspeedgraphic, as well as a couple of tunes from his previous group, Ben Folds Five.

Gob Iron – Death Songs For The Living CD (Transmit Sound)
Gob Iron (British slang for a harmonica) is a brand-new side project for Son Volt and Uncle Tupelo founder Jay Farrar. Teaming up with his friend (and Varnaline front man) Anders Parker, Farrar has recorded an album of new takes on American folk standards. Also known as the folk process, these are old songs by the likes of Stephen Foster and The Reverend JM Gates which have been given new lyrics or new arrangements in an effort to re-interpret the songs in a fresh way.

O.A.R. – The Mighty CD (Red Music)
Pop rock band O.A.R. release their new album, The Mighty. The set was produced by friend Gregg Wattenberg and up-and-comer Pom-Pom (Helen Pomerantz) and is the first time O.A.R. has had a female producer. Pomerantz has brought new ideas to the table and blends O.A.R.’s organic sound with modern digital technology.

Ohsees ‎– The Cool Death Of Island Raiders [Reissue/2006] CD/LP (Castle Face)
Chirping birds, gently lapping tempos and the nascent harmonization of Bridgid Dawson and John Dwyer detail a definitive highlight of their early quiet period of the band. The tree hangs heavy with Patrick Mullins’ handiwork, manning the musical saw, drums, and an assortment of homemade electronics. It seemed a bit radical to be so quiet about it, but the tunes are total ear-worms among the assorted drones, cut-up bits of tape noise, and mellow front porch-vibes, and the whole thing hangs together in a lovely hand-made way, helped in no small part by Dave Sitek’s production (he would later work on Master’s Bedroom as well).

Joshua Redman Quartet – Come What May CD/LP (Nonesuch)
Joshua Redman Quartet’s Come What May is the first album in almost two decades from this group of musicians – the saxophonist and his longtime friends and colleagues pianist Aaron Goldberg, bassist Reuben Rogers, and drummer Gregory Hutchinson – and features seven Redman tunes. Mr. Redman’s place is secure as one of the most effusive and engaging tenor saxophonists in straight-ahead jazz, says the New York Times, and the Quartet is well attuned to his language of elastic tenacity.

Ty Segall – Deforming Lobes CD/LP/Cassette (Drag City)
Deforming Lobes captures The Freedom Band in fiery flight, igniting a handful of songs from Ty Segall’s catalog live at L.A.’s Teragram Ballroom. The band explores everything with unrestrained curiosity and zeal, never losing their collective bond with the audience.

Various Artists – Nigeria 70: No Wahala: Highlife, Afro-Funk, & Juju 1973-1987 CD/2xLP (Strut)
As part of their 20th Anniversary celebrations, Strut present the first new volume in their pioneering Nigeria 70 series in over eight years, bringing together rare highlife, Afro-funk and juju from the ‘70s and early ‘80s. Compiled by collector and DJ Duncan Brooker.

The Wedding Present – Live 2017 Part 2 CD+DVD (Scopitones)
In 2017, The Wedding Present played a series of concert dates to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the release of their classic debut album, George Best. The final concert in the series took place at the O2 Academy in Leeds on December 9, 2017, which is presented here.

White Denim – Side Effects CD/LP (City Slang)
Less than a year after their critically acclaimed last album Performance, the ever-prolific White Denim are back with their eighth record, Side Effects. More in line with the experimental, freewheeling spirit of their fan-favorite record Last Day Of Summer than anything else they’ve done since, Side Effects is a record that captures the essence of the band’s full-throttle live shows.

Nick Zammuto – We The Animals: A Soundtrack By Nick Zammuto CD/2xLP (Temporary Residence)
We The Animals is the award-winning new film from Jeremiah Zagar (In A Dream). Based on the best-selling novel by Justin Torres, We The Animals is Zagar’s first narrative feature. It reunites Zagar with Nick Zammuto, the renowned composer and co-founder of beloved collage-pop pioneers, the Books. Inspired by the film’s setting in rural upstate New York – and influenced by the early ambient electronic music that galvanized the Books two decades ago – Zammuto pairs that earthen, wooded isolation with dynamic pulses of customized electronics and sparse, crystalline layers of melodic soft synths.

Marvin Gaye – You’re The Man 2xLP (Motown)
The first-ever planned lost Tamla/Motown album from Marvin Gaye. 15 of the album’s 17 tracks make their vinyl debut and three tracks are newly mixed by SaLaAM ReMi. The album also includes a rare long LP version of Marvin Gaye’s cancelled Christmas single, as well as an unreleased vault mix of its instrumental B-side, and new essay by Marvin’s biographer, David Ritz. You’re The Man was the album originally proposed to follow-up the monumental What’s Going On.