Music Releases 04-26-24
St. Vincent’s first self-produced record, All Born Screaming is Annie Clark at her most unfiltered. All Born Screaming is an invitation to test the limits of what is possible–and to then keep going; Brought to life with the aid of a highly curated dream lineup of friends — Rachel Eckroth, Josh Freese, Dave Grohl, Mark Guiliana, Cate Le Bon, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Stella Mogzawa and David Ralicke — the album is an unadulterated expression of St. Vincent’s singular vision.
You get older, you have a family, and you start to slow down—that’s how things are supposed to go, right? Not for Montreal band Corridor, who have returned on their fourth album, Mimi, with a sound and style that’s more widescreen and expansive than anything that’s preceded it. The follow-up to 2019’s Junior is a huge step forward for the band, as the members themselves have undergone the type of personal changes that accompany the passage of time; even as these eight songs reflect a newfound and contemplative maturity, however, Corridor are branching out more than ever with richly detailed music, resulting in a record that feels like a fresh break for a band that’s already established themselves as forward-thinkers.
Mimi immediately recalls the best of the best when it comes to indie rock—Deerhunter’s silvery atmospherics immediately come to mind, as well as the spiky e ervescence of classic post-punk—but despite these easy comparisons, Corridor remain impossible to pin down from song to song, which makes Mimi all the more thrilling as a listen.
“The goal was to work differently, which is the goal we have every time we work on a new album—to build something in a new way,” Robert explains. “This time, we took our time.” And so in the summer of 2020, Corridor’s members—Robert, vocalist/bassist Dominic Berthiaume, drummer Julien Bakvis, and multi-instrumentalist Samuel Gougoux—holed away in a cottage to engage in the sort of creative experimentation that would lead to Mimi’s ultimate creation.
Corridor tinkered with the songs’ raw parts digitally and remotely over the next few years, with co-producer Joojoo Ashworth (Dummy, Automatic) lending their own specific talents in the theoretical booth. The process was a byproduct of not having access to their rehearsal space due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but also a result of the four-piece leaning harder into incorporating electronic textures than on previous records.
“For a long time, we identified as a guitar-oriented band, and the goal of making this whole record was trying to get away from that,” Berthiaume states. Berthiaume also describes Mimi as a record about “getting older” and “figuring out new parts of life”—but despite any claims of transitional growing pains from the band, Mimi is a record bursting with new energy and life, a vibrance that’s owed in no small part to Gougoux joining the band full-time after pitching in on live performances in the past.
“I come more from a background of electronic music, so it was nice to involve that with the band more,” he explains, and Mimi contains a distinct rhythmic pulse reminiscent of classic era-post-punk’s own melding of dance and rock textures. Over bright, chiming guitars and ascending synths, Robert addresses his looming mortality on “Mourir Demain”: “I wrote it when my girlfriend and I were shopping for life insurance,” he laughs. With our little daughter growing up, we also considered making our will. I said to myself, ‘Oh shit, from now on I’m slowly starting to plan my death.”
Don’t mistake this as music about dead ends, though, as Mimi embraces and champions unfettered creativity while paving a way for Corridor’s own bright future. “We just focused on making a record that sounded the way we wanted,” Gougoux exclaims while discussing the band’s aims. “There were no limitations when it came to what was possible.”
Rock legend Billy Idol is set to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his landmark album Rebel Yell with a deluxe expanded edition due April 26 via Capitol/UMe. Available for pre-order on Friday, March 8, the reissue includes a selection of previously unreleased songs and demos, the Poolside remix of Idol's smash hit "Eyes Without A Face" and the never-before-heard Billy Idol/Steve Stevens original "Best Way Out of Here" from the original sessions. Idol's never-betore-released cover of the Rose Royce single "Love Don't Live Here Anymore"
With $10 Cowboy, Charley Crockett didn’t set out to make a themed record. He had released a concept album in 2022, the critically acclaimed Man From Waco, propelling Crockett to new heights and establishing him as one of the leaders of a sparkling revival of traditional country and folk music.
For the follow up album, Crockett wrote freely, over a two-month period, as he wound his way across the United States on the back of a tour bus. The resulting songs—raw, personal, vivid portraits of a country in transition—ended up being connected after all.
“This material is written at truck stops, it’s written at casinos, it’s written in the alleys behind the venues, it’s written in my truck parked up on South Congress in Austin,” explains Crockett. “A ramblin’ man like me, a genuine transient, is in a pretty damn good position to have something to say about America.”
As the album unfolds, you begin to understand that a $10 Cowboy is anyone who has hustled to get by, who didn’t fit in, who has slept on other people’s couches, or the street, who has fallen down, gotten up, and ventured from home chasing a paying gig, or a new start.
“Being out on the road gives you a first-hand experience of how different kinds of Americans see themselves as going through some kind of great struggle,” Crockett says. “The roughneck working the oil and natural gas fields in West Texas. The single mother raising kids by herself. The young man working a street corner because he thinks it's his only option. I would be dishonest if I said I couldn’t see the thread. Each of ‘em feel invisible. I am struck by the battles they are fighting internally, and the ways they have been entrapped by what America says they are.”
The album was recorded at Arlyn Studios in Austin, produced by Crockett and his long-time collaborator Billy Horton. It was recorded live to tape, with anywhere from 6-12 musicians and backup singers on each track, giving the songs the feel of a live performance. It’s a sound Crockett has been after for years. “Reason I cut it on tape is because when you got the right people in the room, and the great players rise to the occasion when that red light is on and the tape is rolling, you get the magic of a great performance.”
It's exactly what he achieved with $10 Cowboy. Regular bandmates Fox, Nathan Fleming, and Mayo Valdez are joined by some of the genre’s most talented players—Rich Brotherton, Kevin Smith, Dave LeRoy Biller, T. Jarrod Bonta and others, including a string quartet. Lauren Cervantes and Angela Miller sing on the album. While the musicianship and accompaniment are exquisite, they are also subtle, placed joyously, yet judiciously across the album.
No, Crockett didn’t set out to write a themed record. Or, through his studied eye, to find America. But with $10 Cowboy, he might have done both.
The two-time GRAMMY® Award-winning and multi-platinum artist returns with her first album on Epic Records, TORI.. The 15 track release features songs from her 2023 digital EP along with the hit single “high water” and much mor
GOTHIC SUMMER is the newest album from Australian pop-rock legends The Veronicas! After an exciting 2023 with shows all over the world, the band has delivered yet again with an album of clear artistic vision. The band will tour the U.S. in major markets throughout 2024 so grab your copy of GOTHIC SUMMER on blue vinyl now!
From Neil’s sleeve notes: “Why do these old songs live so vividly now? They do to me.”
Neil Young with Crazy Horse in all their “Ragged Glory”.
Neil & The Horse have played together for over 50 years and the performances of these songs is
a true highlight of that long relationship.
9 songs on 2 LPs, with the original song titles replaced with selected lyrics. (“Farmer John”,
being a cover, retains its original title.)
The album was recorded in 2023, with this line-up:
Billy Talbot – Bass, vocal
Ralph Molina – Drums, vocal
Micah Nelson – Guitar, vocal, piano
Nils Lofgren – Guitar, vocal, piano
Neil Young – Guitar, vocal, harmonica
Neil: “In the spirit it’s offered…made this for the Horse lovers. I can’t stop it. The horse is runnin’.
What a ride we have. I don’t want to mess with the vibe. I am so happy to have this to share.”
Canadian born, Grammy-nominated, and the first artist ever signed to Drake’s OVO Sound imprint is back with a new 14 track PARTYNEXTDOOR album. PARTYNEXTDOOR 4 is now available on black vinyl. Album features the tracks “R e s e n t m e n t,” ”R e a l W o m e n,” “Lo s e M y M I n d” and 11 others.
Pet Shop Boys release their brand new studio album ‘Nonetheless’ on Parlophone Records on April 26.
The album is the duo’s first with producer James Ford, who has previously worked with artists including Arctic Monkeys, Depeche Mode, Blur, Gorillaz and Simian Mobile Disco. The album also sees the duo return to Parlophone, the label which released their iconic and massively successful material spanning 1985 – 2012
‘Nonetheless’ features 10 brand new tracks, recorded and mixed in London last year, primarily at James Ford’s studio in East London. The orchestra and backing vocals were recorded at The Church studio in North London.
On the surface, Eric Slick's forthcoming LP New Age Rage is a dance record. Further listening reveals that it’s also a statement about our harrowing future - AI, self-driving cars, Twitter rage, mass media manipulation, and ultimately, the sin of perfectionism. It’s sonically influenced by the work of Yellow Magic Orchestra, Talking Heads, Kraftwerk, Todd Rundgren, Prince, The Residents, and DEVO. New Age Rage features many of Eric’s close collaborators: Natalie Prass, Finom (OHMME), Liam Kazar, Antibalas, Butcher Brown, Deep Sea Diver, and many more
Oakland’s Houses of Heaven fuse the grit of early industrial with dizzying hits of EBM, techno, and drum & bass, all imbued with lyrical themes that draw equally from the emotional and the mechanical. Within/Without, their sophomore LP for Felte, delves into a realm of intricate intensity, pushing electronics to the forefront with the production prowess of Matia Simovich (INHALT), and features top-of-their-game guest vocals from Douglas McCarthy (Nitzer Ebb) and Mariana Saldaña (BOAN).
While the dub-influenced, shoegaze throb of Silent Places (2020) immersed itself in the paradox of opulence against the unsettling backdrop of California’s wildfires, Within/Without confronts social order through the lens of inner strife. It explores a contrast between the fantasy worlds and unfiltered truths that define modern survival, and a yearning for genuine human connection brought on by the anxiety and isolation of technology.
On Within/Without, Houses of Heaven truly come into their own with a distinctive alloy of electronic, industrial, psychedelic and shoegaze elements. They create a dynamic conduit for discord and harmony with a profoundly human essence, bridging interior lives and exterior pressures through visceral songcraft and deft pacing. In a cruel and technologically dominated world, emotional gridlock is rampant. Yet, in the propulsive paranoia of album highlight “Flesh Techniques”, we’re reminded that it’s often best to “breathe in / these dreams again / shake, shake it off”.
New album from the Floridian death metal legends. Deicide is one of the "big three" US Death Metal bands, along with Cannibal Corpse and Morbid Angel
Let's Start Degeneracy [Indie Exclusive Baby Pink / Clear w/ Purple Splatter LP]
K-Pop Girl Group ILLIT formed out of the hit show ‘R U NEXT? has officially debuted! The group consists of five members: YUNAH, MOKA, MINJI, WONHEE and IROHA. Contents of the album include a CD, Outbox, Photo Book (SUPER ME ver.: 72 pgs, REAL ME ver.: 76 pgs), 2 Photo Cards (random 2 of 10), ILLIT Logo Sticker, Album Logo Sticker, Sticker, Paper Magnet, Paper Ornament Set (random 1 of 5) and Lyric Poster. US & EU Retail Exclusive: Photo Card (random 1 of 4).
"Manhattan Fire’ is a collection of demos from prolific Brooklyn outfit The Men, revealing early versions of the tracks that would go on to make up their 2023 LP ‘New York City’ – described by Pitchfork as “an unpretentious garage-punk racket […] summoning the snottiest ghosts of the city’s punk past.” Recorded in mono and with a drum machine by founding members Mark Perro and Nick Chiericozzi over lockdown in late 2020 – before being shelved for the full-band, live-to-tape affair of the final LP – ‘Manhattan Fire’ shows a new side to those songs that's even more primitive and rough around the edges, as well as previously unheard tracks that never made it onto the album.
Groovy was the third album to be released by acclaimed jazz drummer Red Garland. Originally released on Prestige Records in 1957 this energetic jazz album was performed by a trio made up of Garland alongside Paul Chambers (bass) and Art Taylor (drums). This new edition is released as part of the Original Jazz Classics Series and is pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI with all-analog mastering from the original tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and presented in a Tip-On Jacket.
Composer, singer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Laufey continues her story with Bewitched: The Goddess Edition, an expanded version of her 2023 critically celebrated and GRAMMY-winning second album. Since the release of Bewitched, Laufey has proven how staying true to oneself can result in creating a space where people can find themselves. Bewitched has been wildly successful around the world, appearing on multiple year-end best-of lists, sparking an immediately sold-out tour and reaching No. 1 on Billboard’s Jazz charts. The Goddess Edition features four brand-new original songs including lead single "Goddess" and will be available on vinyl, cassette, and CD. The expanded package includes dark blue vinyl, an updated booklet, and a custom board game.
boy is the highly anticipated solo EP from Luke Hemmings, the award-winning lead singer of 5 Seconds of Summer. The EP features the beautifully melancholic first single “Shakes.”
Coagulated Bliss [Indie Exclusive Neon Yellow, White and Olive Green Mix LP]
Envisioned in the style of early dancehall records Pachy Garcia took upon the task of recreating the sonic endeavors of Scientist, King Tubby, Lee "Scratch" Perry and the great engineers and players of early Jamaican reggae music. Inspired by Channel One Studios and the Roots Radics band, the tone was set in a dancehall fashion with some detours into Rub-a-Dub and Rockers style playing. Recorded, written, produced, performed, and mixed by Pachy at his own 333 House in 2019.
In the spirit of classic Jamaican recordings of the late '70s and early '80s, Pachyman's sophomore record continues his ventures in dub and roots reggae. This time going further into the early Studio One sound, Sly & Robbie’s steppers style and a bit of soul jazz reggae. Mixed using the techniques of Scientist and King Tubby, Pachy pays tribute to the sonic pallet of the dub masters themselves. Recorded in 2019 at his own 333 House studio.
Marc Anthony - Muevense - Latin Pop LP
Introducing the much-anticipated Marc Anthony's 15th studio album "MUEVENSE" a tribute to diverse musical genres including bachata and ranchera. With 10 captivating tracks all co-produced by Marc himself and his longtime collaborator and producer, Sergio George.
"MUEVENSE" showcases Marc Anthony's journey as a musician, producer, and composer. Expect a blend of signature sounds alongside innovative compositions that push boundaries.
In a society defined by our greatest and worst moments, out of chaos comes Letters from a Black Widow – a definitive statement of perseverance and liberation from Grammy-winning singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Judith Hill. The album’s 12 songs masterfully reveal themes she’d explored only in therapy and nightmares. Stories of resistance, hard-won clarity and redemption are delivered through an unshakable soul, funk and blues foundation that resonates with a defiant, beautiful power.
After dark country trio Lost Dog Street Band released its 2022 album Glory, bandleader Benjamin Tod decided it was time to retire the project. Tod, alongside his wife Ashley Mae (fiddle), had been working together as a band since 2011. “I came to terms with letting go of Lost Dog completely, which is how I evaluate a lot of things in general,” explains Tod. “Oftentimes when I'm trying to make a really hard decision, I go ahead and go through the process of mourning its death and accepting that I am going to lose it.” But just a month after recording a solo project in January of 2023, Tod felt an urge to revisit the project one more time.
“I thought I was done with Lost Dog, but after recording my solo album, I looked over all the songs that I had ready for a new record. These were songs for my band. I had to admit to myself that I wasn't done with Lost Dog.”
Though there was heartbreak at the prospect of the project coming to an end, its resurrection has meant all the more in this new context. “Benjamin and I, both individually and together, have been through some professionally grinding and demoralizing personal times over the past five years,” Ashley Mae explains. “To take a step back from that over the past year and realize, ‘Wow, we held it down and withstood that, and we survived that,’ was a really good, bright, shining moment. It was the high point during a demoralizing time.” As such, Survived is a saving grace, a phoenix rising from the ashes. “This record means everything,” adds Tod. “It just feels like salvation.”