The Front Bottoms – Back On Top CD/LP+MP3 (Fueled By Ramen)

“The Front Bottoms have spent the last seven years building up a reputation grassroots style. From self-released albums to unassailable live shows, the New Jersey quartet has garnered praise from journalists and fellow musicians alike. They’ve opened for everyone from Brand New to Say Anything, and completely stole the show at this year’s Skate and Surf Festival. Now, after a pair of acclaimed albums on Bar/None Records, the band makes their Fueled by Ramen debut withBack On Top. Considering how close to the end of summer Back On Top drops, it’s fitting that the album’s latest single is an ode to summer love. ‘Summer Shandy’ strolls along on staccato guitar notes and a sturdy marching drum, punctuated here and there with the sudden burst of trumpets. Frontman Brian Sella’s rambling lyrical delivery is the song’s true centerpiece, though, as he pines about a romance he knows will never last.” –Consequence Of Sound

Golden Void – Berkana CD/LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)

Golden Void is the new face of Bay Area psychedelic music. It’s a rich tradition and like many of the tradition’s greats, Golden Void’s songs are firmly rooted in melody and not afraid of exploration. The band’s hooks get stuck in your head and their riffs transport you to the astral plane. Golden Void’s undeniable twist, setting them apart from their city’s lineage, is the influence of classic bands like Sabbath and Pentagram. The quartet, Isaiah Mitchell (Earthless) on guitar and vocals, Camilla Saufley-Mitchell on keyboards and vocals, Aaron Morgan on bass and Justin Pinkerton on drums, achieves a perfect balance of muscular riffs, soaring melodies, and hazy atmosphere on Berkana, their sophomore album.

Glen Hansard – Didn’t He Ramble CD (Anti)

Didn’t He Ramble is Hansard’s most intimate and elegant record since his work in Once and features guest appearances by John Sheahan (Dubliners), Sam Beam (Iron And Wine) and Sam Amidon. Glen Hansard is the celebrated principal songwriter and vocalist/guitarist for the influential Irish group The Frames. Whether busking the streets of Dublin, where he got his start, or headlining a gig, Hansard has garnered a reputation as an unparalleled frontman. He is also one half of the acclaimed duo The Swell Season. In 2007, he and Czech songstress Markéta Irglová took home the Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Falling Slowly” off the Oncesoundtrack. In 2013, the Broadway adaptation, Once The Musical, won eight Tony Awards including the top musical prize. Most recently, Hansard has won critical acclaim for his moving interpretations of the songs of Jason Molina of Songs:Ohia. Vinyl version due October 9.

HeCTA – The Diet CD/LP+MP3 (Merge)

“I don’t think anyone saw HeCTA coming. This is a surprising group: A disco-house trio made up of three members of the long-running orchestral alt-country band Lambchop, including Lambchop frontman Kurt Wagner. But the group attacks its chosen sound with way more confidence and poise than anyone could’ve anticipated” – Stereogum. “…a lean, well-toned dance record with vigorous beats and the clear pulse of a fully fit album.” – Deviate Magazine

Hibou – Hibou CD/LP (Barsuk)

The idea of “home” plays a prominent theme in the short history of Peter Michel and his Seattle-based band Hibou. “I actually recorded half of the new album at my parents’ home,” says the 21-year-old about Hibou’s debut full-length release. “There are moments on the record where you hear my dad cooking or hammering,” he adds. The self-titled debut LP features 11 songs (including four new versions of songs previously released as the Dunes EP) and is a lush, driving mix of ’80s inspired pop, fueled by twisting reverbed-out guitar melodies, elegant arrangements, and a love of soda, summertime nostalgia, and trips to Peter’s inspirational point in Seattle: the fittingly-named Discovery Park. “I’ve written a ton of the melodies for the band there,” he says. “It’s my favorite place in the world.”

Homeshake – Midnight Snack CD/LP+MP3 (Omnian Music Group)

 Homeshake is the pseudonym and solo project of Edmonton-born, Montreal-based musician Peter Sagar. Midnight Snack explores Sagar’s dizzying time on the road as touring guitarist with Mac DeMarco, reflecting on the loneliness that plagued him towards the end of his run, and the longing for life back home in Montreal. When the mounting pressures of this lifestyle began to take a toll, Sagar left the band to focus on his own music and to rebuild the infrastructure of his life. While many of the new tracks meander through anxiety and despair, it is also a witness to a return to safety.

Lucero – All A Man Should Do CD/LP (ATO)

Lucero has shifted their sonic approach a bit on All A Man Should Do, noting “we felt comfortable enough to take some chances with a palette of new tones that sound understated yet powerful, bringing life to the stories behind the lyrics without overshadowing them.” As for the lyrics, Ben Nichols’ latest group of lines read like chapters from his life on the duality of relationships, getting older, finding where you want to be in this world. Also joining the band on the album is Big Star’s Jody Stephens. Appropriately, he’s added backup vocals to Lucero’s cover of his band’s “I’m In Love With A Girl.” This marks the first-ever cover to appear on a Lucero studio LP.

Rose McDowall – Cut The Cake With A Knife CD/LP (Sacred Bones)

Cut With The Cake Knife was recorded by Rose McDowall in 1988 and 1989 following the break up of her group Strawberry Switchblade. Produced with the aid of several musicians in several studios, the album features songs written for the fabled second Strawberry Switchblade album. More importantly, perhaps, it showcases the honest, direct and life-affirming songs of one of the greatest unsung songwriters of the modern pop era at a tumultuous time in her career.

Metric – Pagans In Vegas CD/2xLP (Metric Music)

The Canadian synth pop band’s first album in three years is explores the band’s sonic influences, paying homage to inspirational artists like Depeche Mode, Joy Division and Underworld. Frontwoman Emily Haines explained that the aim was to capture “the romance of another time without falling into nostalgia.” The new songs bring together acoustic and synthetic sounds that provide the framework to explore “the quandaries of life in an age where bad news is unavoidable and great art is a life-saver.” The writing process found guitarist/producer James Shaw experimenting with a CS80 synth at his Toronto studio, while Haines discovered an array of acoustic instruments during time spent in Nicaragua and Spain. The differing approaches resulted in enough material for two albums — the second of which is expected in 2016. (Limited copies pressed on red vinyl.)

Mac Miller – GO:OD AM CD (WB)

Third album from the Pittsburgh, PA rapper. The album starts with “Doors,” featuring a beat by Tyler, The Creator. Mac lets us know where he’s at: “Ain’t sayin’ that I’m sober, I’m just in a better place.” With that, we’re introduced to the latest chapter in Mac’s life.

Ought – Sun Coming Down CD/LP (Constellation)

Ought returns with their second full-length album, following a break-out year for the Montréal quartet that saw its 2014 debut More Than Any Other Day make well-deserved waves, with a Best New Music nod from Pitchfork and appearances on countless year-end lists. Sun Coming Down maintains the band’s tight, twitchy, economical sound. Ought pursue an artistically apposite austerity in committing these new songs to tape, referencing the arid and unvarnished production of no-wave and early indie rock while balancing carved-out angularity against an evolving comfort with textural coalescences and measured pacing. It makes for an album that’s consistently, insistently propulsive but also feels unhurried and pleasantly unhyped.

Dave Rawlings Machine – Nashville Obsolete CD (Acony)

Acony Records proudly presents Nashville Obsolete, the highly anticipated second album from Dave Rawlings Machine. Recorded on analog tape at Woodland Sound Studios in Nashville, TN, the record features seven original compositions written by Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings. Produced by Rawlings, Nashville Obsolete highlights the brilliant musicianship of Dave Rawlings and Gillian Welch on lead vocals and guitar, Paul Kowert (Punch Brothers) on bass, Willie Watson on vocals and guitar and guest appearances from Brittany Haas (fiddle) and Jordan Tice (mandolin).

Akira Sakata & Jim O’Rourke with Chikamorachi & Merzbow – Flying Basket CD/2xLP (Family Vineyard)

Flying Basket is a zonked and fantastic double album of avant jazz, discord and deconstructed rock by five master practitioners. It also marks the debut collaboration by a pair of Japan’s legendary transgressors — saxophonist Akira Sakata and noise pioneer Masami Akita, aka Merzbow. For the past ten years Sakata has rededicated himself to fiery free jazz alongside guitarist Jim O’Rourke and monstrous rhythm section Chikamorachi — Chris Corsano (drums) and Darin Gray (double bass, percussion).

Salad Boys – Metal Mania CD/LP (Trouble In Mind)

Salad Boys came together at the end of 2012 with members from other illustrious Christchurch groups T54, Bang! Bang! Eche! and the Dance Asthmatics. Recorded, the Salad Boys are deceivingly charming, presenting a careful but curious balance of well-informed pop melodies, hypnotizing rhythms and heady instrumentation. They perform a wondrous assault: a charged up blitz of clanging guitars, intoxicating drones, head-down acid repetition and an abundance of dazzling pop hooks.

Say Hi – Bleeders Digest CD/LP (Barsuk)

“If we’ve learned anything from the fact that teen paranormal romance is now a legit genre of modern literature, it’s that we love relating to the unknown. Or, more specifically, the undead. Eric Elbogen, aka Say Hi has been keen to this fact since the summer of 2006, when dropped Say Hi’s breakthrough LP Impeccable Blahs. Not only is the record a well-oiled machine of synth-pop magnificence that, with its deceptively addictive nature alone, would make you consider an occult presence surrounding it – it’s also 100% lyrically confined in the world of vampires. After four more LPs and a soundtrack album, Say Hi has returned to this formidable world to give the album a sequel: Bleeders Digest. The only thing better than the pun of its namesake is the content therein. Eric continues to shine as one of Barsuk’s most consistent stars, with another record of pitch perfect synth pop excellence and an extended vampiric metaphor that gives us a wonderful parallel on the intentionally inward lives we oft find ourselves leading.” — KEXP

Skylar Spence – Prom King CD/LP+MP3 (Carpark)

When Ryan DeRobertis announced the name change of his project from Saint Pepsi to Skylar Spence, there was no indication of any stylistic departure, though the change arrived with a musical shift toward faster tempos and more pristine production. Whereas Saint Pepsi had often used decades-old boogie, disco, and new wave as grist for the sampling mill, Skylar Spence is intent on trafficking more overtly in those genre aesthetics through his own production techniques and vocal contributions. With Prom King, DeRobertis reorients his music for his new full-band live act and winds up with an album full of tight and enveloping dance tunes.

Patrick Sweany – Daytime Turned To Nighttime CD (Nine Mile)

Last year, in between long tours, Sweany and his wife bought their first home together. They spent all of their free time renovating it, while Sweany crammed writing and recording in the downtime. “I’d been going nuts listening to certain records while I sanded the walls and pulled out crooked nails: Bobbie Gentry’s ‘Ode To Billie Joe,’ Allen Tousaint’s work with Lee Dorsey, and the record Bobby Charles did with the band.” Daytime Turned To Nighttime has the same loose, warm feel as those southern soul staples.

Telekineses – Ad Infinitum CD/LP+MP3 (Merge)

Telekinesis’ Michael Benjamin Lerner faced with a bout of writer’s block in the early stages of crafting Ad Ininitum. While working from his home studio, he allegedly realized he’d maxed out the power-pop direction of his first three records, the last of which being 2013’s Dormarion. He explained: “I went down to the basement and started playing the same chords I always play… I just felt like I’d exhausted everything I knew. I was not excited at all. I just could not make another power-pop album.” Vintage synthesizers and drum machines helped the indie artist steer himself back in the right direction. “Michael Benjamin Lerner spent two years learning about vintage synthesizers and forgetting about guitars and drums. Though he sought a new sound, the resulting Ad Infinitum sounds surprisingly like classic Telekinesis.” – Pitchfork

Elyse Weinberg – Greasepaint Smile CD/LP (Numerophon)

The unreleased second album by an original lady from the canyon. Recorded and recanted in 1969, Greasepaint Smile is more assured than its self-titled, Tetragrammaton-issued predecessor. Weinberg’s finger-picked acoustic is layered over distant drumming, while her gravel-pit voice evokes life, love, and mortality. Fellow Torontonian Neil Young sears “Houses” with his signature fuzz-tone, casting chaos over the beautiful ballad, while J.D. Souther, Kenny Edwards, and Nils Lofgren, pick up the slack. Masterfully produced by David Briggs, Greasepaint Smile has climbed out of the canyon and is bound for every turntable east of the 405.

Lou Barlow – Brace The Wave LP (Joyful Noise)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. “Lou Barlow’s circuitous path as a recording artist has taken him through key roles in Sebadoh and Dinosaur Jr., not to mention The Folk Implosion, which cracked the pop charts with ‘Natural One’ back in the ’90s. He’s also put out a bunch of solo work, both under his own name and in the bedroom-recording project Sentridoh, but in recent years he’s focused more on repairing old professional relationships. That’s meant rejoining Dinosaur Jr., in which he once feuded famously with bandleader J Mascis, and putting out 2013’s Defend Yourself, the first new Sebadoh record in 14 years. Brace The Wave keeps Barlow’s sound stripped to its barren bones, an approach suited to the pleas and confessions therein.” – NPR

Delta Spirit – History From Below [Reissue/2010] LP+MP3 (Dualtone)

Originally issued in 2010, San Diego-bred five-piece Delta Spirit’s second full-length, History From Below was produced by My Morning Jacket’s keyboardist Bo Koster and Eli Thomson and followed up the band’s critically acclaimed debut, 2008’s Ode To Sunshine. The 11-track effort was captured at Prairie Sun Studio C in Cotati, CA, the same place Tom Waits has recorded brims with incredibly deep and moving songs that are alternately grand and explosive, rock and rustic, always eloquent and melodic.

Faith No More – The Real Thing [Reissue/1989] 2xLP (Rhino)

Faith No More – Angel Dust [Reissue/1992] 2xLP (Rhino)

Recently reissued on CD – now available on vinyl. Deluxe double vinyl LP pressings include the original release accompanied by a second LP filled with rarities related to the album. After extensive touring for their 1989 album The Real Thing, the band returned in 1992 with Angel Dust. It climbed to Number 10 on the US album charts and would later be recognized as one of the most influential releases of the era. The album swings between extremes-aggressive and disturbing, but also beautiful and soothing-showing off every facet of the band’s quirky eloquence on such diverse tracks as “Midlife Crisis,” “Jizzlobber,” “R.V.” and “Small Victory.”

The Fratellis – Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied LP (Cooking Vinyl)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. At the heart of Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied there’s a fun, energetic soul reminiscent of their 2006 debut. It’s wonderfully vibrant, playful and the stories and characters it projects embody the spirit of L.A. (the first place Jon Fratelli ever went to outside Scotland). With recognizable nods to ‘70s Cali-rock, rockabilly and glorious hints of Americana and country layered high, it’s a glorious homecoming with roots in both Scotland and L.A.

Jerusalem In My Heart – If He Dies, If If If If If If LP (Constellation)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Radwan Ghazi Moumneh returns with a second full-length album from his acclaimed Jerusalem In My Heart (JIMH) project, conceived and recorded in his dual homes Montréal and Beirut. Moumneh expands his compositional palette onIf He Dies, If If If If If If, exploring new deconstructions and juxtapositions of both traditional and popular Arab musical currents, with an album that oscillates between powerfully emotive vocal tunes and instrumental works that primarily make use of Radwan’s expressive acoustic playing on buzuk and zurna as a point of departure.

Phish – Rift [1993] 2xLP+MP3 (Jemp)

Rift is Phish’s fourth official studio album and the next to be issued on vinyl for the first time.

Vaadat Charigim – Sinking As Stone LP+MP3 (Burger)

Released last June on CD – now available on vinyl. Sophomore record from Israeli shoegaze and dream pop trio.

Vision – Inertia (Burger)

Brit-pop by way of East L.A., Vision’s debut album Inertia is chock full of intense 100 mph post-punk grunge blasts. “L.A.’s equivalent to England’s ‘working class’ is the native without a safety net; the local band with more soul in their war-torn Chucks than an entire band of surfers embracing faux-poverty while collecting vintage tube amps.” — LA Weekly

DAVID BOWIE – CD reissues

CHVRCHES – Every Open Eye CD/LP

SHAWN COLVIN – Uncovered CD

LOS LOBOS – Gates Of Gold CD

WIDESPREAD PANIC – Street Dogs CD/LP

CASEY VEGGIES (ODD FUTURE) – Live and Grow CD

DISCLOSURE – Carcal CD/LP

PEACHES – Rub CD/LP

CASPIAN – Dust and Disquiet CD/LP

DEAD WEATHER – Dodge and Burn CD/LP

DEARS – Time Infinity CD/LP

DOW PAORO – After CD/LP

DUNGEN -Allas Sak CD/LP

GIRL BAND – Holding Hands With Jamie CD

GRAVEYARD – Innocence and Decadence CD/LP

PATTY GRIFFIN – Servant CD
JULIAN HOLTER – Have You In My Wilderness CD/LP

NEW ORDER – Music Complete CD/LP

SILVERSUN PICKUPS – Better Nature CD/LP

SNEAKERS – S/T CD

U.S. GIRLS – Half Free CD

KURT VILE – B’lieve I’m Goin Down CD/LP

WORLD IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE AND I AM NO LONGER AFRAID CD/LP

YOUTH LAGOON – Savage Hills Ballroom CD/LP

FRESH AND ONLYS – Early Years Anthology CD/LP

BIG BLACK – Atomizer LP

GOAT – It’s Time For Fun 7″