New Release Round-Up 07-03-20

Paul Weller - On Sunset - Verve
Paul Weller’s 15th solo album, On Sunset, is a soul album. At the same time it’s an electronic album, an orchestral album, an album packed with classic pop songs and heart-tugging ballads, and an album filled with touches of experimentalism. It’s also an album that sees Weller taking a rare glance into the rear-view mirror as he speeds into the 2020s.

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Pure X - Pure X - Fire Talk Records
Pure X is the last band, has always been the last band. In 38 minutes, Pure X weave a culmination, all the delays and distortion, the grinding mortar of touring, the low-tide pulling them out from a cult band, to a legacy band, it’s here, understood and forgiven.


Willie Nelson - First Rose Of Spring - Sony Legacy
A new studio album from the time-defying legend who has won Grammys for his last two albums (2019’s Ride Me Back Home just won Best Solo Country Performance and 2018’s My Way won Best Traditional Pop Album). While his last few albums have focused on facing the reality of mortality and crying or laughing in its face, this one is focused much more on celebrating the now and embracing life, love and friends & family. The album includes new songs written by Willie Nelson and long time producer Buddy Cannon combined with new songs written by Chris Stapleton and Toby Keith plus a handful of classic songs that Willie interprets his way, all performed with an amazing band of Nashville gunslingers.

Stu Larsen - Marigold - Nettwerk Records
Stu Larsen has no fixed residence...all he owns is a suitcase. You can find him in his native Australia, in Spain, Japan or South America before he picks up and leaves for his next destination. The Queensland, Australia-born singer-songwriter, and narrator packed up his life in a suitcase and has circled the globe on a near twelve-year and five-continent international trip. He has chronicled this journey through his music, including his newest full-length album Marigold.

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Holy Wave - Interloper - Reverberation Appreciation
Holy Wave is a band of multi-instrumentalists from Austin, TX. Originally from El Paso, the band’s sound has evolved into a unique blend of sun baked surf-psychedelia. Holy Wave creates a brand of psych that brings to mind fellow Texans like The 13th Floor Elevators and modern contemporaries like The Black Angels and Night Beats, dyed in carefully constructed noise with an attention to detail echoing the work of influences like My Bloody Valentine and Spectrum.

UPCOMING RELEASES

The Hu - The Gereg: Deluxe Edition - Better Noise Music
Following the success of the 2019 debut release, The Gereg features viral rock hits "Wolf Totem" and "Yuve Yuve Yu", with additional features from Lzzy Hale of Halestorm, Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach and Danny Case of From Ashes To New, whose version of "Yuve Yuve Yu" reached top 10 at rock radio. Hailing from Mongolia, The Hu are unlike any other rock band in the world, introducing their new style of music they call "hunnu rock" - from the Mongolian root word for human being, "hu". Since their release, the band has been #1 on the Billboard World Albums Chart, #1 on the Top New Artist Albums, and Top 5 Globally on Hard Rock Music Album Charts (US, Canada, UK, and more). They have toured the world extensively, with sold out shows in Europe, the UK, and the United States. The deluxe CD includes the full album, as well as 3 acoustic tracks and 3 featured versions.

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For more information on these and other releases out this week, check out our New Releases charts by week section.

New Release Round-Up 06-26-20

HAIM - Women In Music Pt. III - Sony
Women In Music Pt. III is the third studio album by American band HAIM. Released through Columbia Records. It was produced by Danielle HAIM, Rostam Batmanglij and Ariel Rechtshaid, and was preceded by the singles 'Summer Girl', 'Now I'm in It' and 'Hallelujah'.

Corb Lund - Agricultural Tragic - New West Records
Corb Lund embraces his rich and rustic western heritage with a style that’s unique, honest and resolute, while touching on a range of cowboy themes — from rough-and-tumble tales of lawless frontier saloons, to the sombre realities of running a modern family ranch. As a descendant of many generations of rodeo contestants and ranchers, he sings about a life that he and his ancestors have lived themselves, paired with his quick-witted, wry observations of today’s world. As a result of his heritage and the ten years he spent touring the world with his indie rock band, Corb’s writing resonates emphatically with rural and urban audiences alike. It’s a classic sound with a twist, something of a rarity these days, but one that evokes the spirit of the American West, past and present. Corb Lund’s 11^th studio album, Agricultural Tragic, finally puts a name to the genre he’s been embodying all of these years.

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Grey Daze - Amends - Loma Vista
Prior to his untimely passing, Chester personally announced a 2017 Grey Daze reunion on social media. As he never got the chance to launch the reunion himself, his bandmates, friends, family, and various collaborators stepped up to give the music the second chance it deserved, finishing what the late singer started. The musicians—longtime members Sean Dowdell [drums, backing vocals] and Mace Beyers [bass] as well as Cristin Davis [guitar] recruited in 2017—curated eleven tracks from their catalog and rerecorded the music in 2019 to accompany Chester’s original vocals, which comprised many unheard takes from the vault. Released by Tom Whalley’s Loma Vista Recordings and produced by Jay Baumgardner, the result illuminates the prophetic power of an icon on the cusp of one of rock ‘n’ roll’s most significant revolutions and deepens his already venerable legacy in the process.

The Rolling Stones - Living In A Ghost Town [Limited Edition 10in Orange Single] - Interscope Records
Limited orange colored ten-inch vinyl pressing. Following the band's Global Citizen performance, The Rolling Stones have released a new song, "Living In A Ghost Town". This is the band's first new material in eight years. The track was written by Mick and Keith which was created/recorded in Los Angeles and London while in isolation. An official music video showcasing empty cities around the world premiered recently.

Khruangbin - Mordechai - Dead Oceans
Khruangbin has always been multilingual, weaving far-flung musical languages like East Asian surf-rock, Persian funk, and Jamaican dub into mellifluous harmony. But on its third album, it’s finally speaking out loud. Mordechai features vocals prominently on nearly every song, a first for the mostly instrumental band. It’s a shift that rewards the risk, reorienting Khruangbin’s transportive sound toward a new sense of emotional directness, without losing the spirit of nomadic wandering that’s always defined it. And it all started with them coming home.

Frank Zappa & The Mothers - The Mothers 1970 [4CD Box Set] - Zappa Records
Frank Zappa & The Mothers -"The Mothers 1970" - A 4-CD collection commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1970 Mothers with 70 unreleased tracks. Personnel includes Mark Volman & Howard Kaylan (Flo & Eddie), George Duke, Ian Underwood, Jeff Simmons and Aynsley Dunbar. Featuring unheard studio sessions from Trident Studios in London England with engineer Roy Thomas Baker, and historical live performances mostly captured by Zappa's own tape recorder. Clam Shell Box with 4 discs, booklet and a button.

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For more information on these and other releases out this week, check out our New Releases charts by week section.

A NOTE ABOUT RECORD STORE DAY 2020

Due to the current circumstances RSD 2020 has once again had to adapt and here is the latest information from Record Store Day:

Since 2008, Record Store Day has grown into the world’s largest single-day music event, shining a light on the culture of the indie record store across the globe. In 2020, that world is different, so Record Store Day will be too. RSD is now scheduled to be celebrated with special, properly distanced release dates on Saturdays in August, September and October.

Record Store Day will look very different this year, but supporting indie record stores may be more important than ever. We don't know what sort of rules will be in place, or what sort of gatherings people will be in the mood for this year, so we're focusing on the music and getting the really great titles on the RSD Official List this year into the stores and into your hands, in the most financially and socially responsible way.

The titles on the RSD 2020 Official List, launched on March 5th, will be released at participating record stores on one of these three RSD Drops: August 29th, September 26th, and October 24th.   The new version of The List, with newly assigned RSD Drops dates will launch on June 1 so check back here for a look at when you'll be able to pick up the titles on your RSD 2020 wishlist at your local record store.