New Release Round-Up 02-15-19

Tedeschi Trucks Band - Signs - Fantasy
“Signs” is the fourth studio release from Tedeschi Trucks Band and offers another outstanding example of their ability to expand musical boundaries in ways that only a rare caliber of musician can achieve. “Signs” showcases the band at their best – combining inventive musicality and provocative lyrics across eleven original tracks, running the gamut from uplifting soulful anthems, to bittersweet ballads and driving rock and roll. The album was recorded at Derek and Susan’s home studio, Swamp Raga, on two-inch analog tape giving it a warmth and richness that recalls the ambience of the best vintage recordings. Vinyl mastering and lacquers were cut from the analog master tape and pressed on 180 gram black vinyl for highest sound quality.

Robert Ellis - Texas Piano Man - New West Records
Hello. I'm Robert Ellis, The Texas Piano Man. I wanted to take a moment to say a few words about this record and what you might expect from it. Texas Piano Man is a collection of songs specifically written for my piano driven Rock & Roll band from the great state of Texas. Myself and the guys bring these songs to you in the very spirit of Texas itself; loudly, confidently, over the top, larger than life, at times deadly serious and yet always with a wink and a smile. We invite you to come on in, stay a while, and when you leave take with you the spirit of these songs, the spirit of Texas, and the spirit of The Texas Piano Man himself. Adios!

 

J.S. Ondara - Tales Of America - Big Machine Records
J.S. Ondara offers a unique take of the American dream on Tales Of America, his debut album. Born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, J.S. fell in love with Bob Dylan and moved to Minneapolis Minnesota when he was 20 to pursue a career as a singer-songwriter. He notes other musical influences as Neil Young, Noah Gundersen, Damien Rice and Ray LaMontagne. His debut album, Tales of America, is an examination of the American Dream from an outsider's perspective; an introspection on a universal matter.

 

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Ryan Bingham - American Love Song - Axster Bingham Rec
American Love Song finds Ryan Bingham honing his creativity on two distinct levels, the personal and the cultural. The record is co-produced with Charlie Sexton, the superb Austin guitarist who has played for years in Bob Dylan s touring band. American Love Song was recorded at Arlyn Studios and Public Hi-Fi in Austin with additional recording at Matter Music/Stella Sound in Los Angeles.

Avril Lavigne - Head Above Water - BMG
Avril Lavigne's first album in over 5 years includes the title track Head Above Water and Tell Me It's Over

Picture This - MDRN LV - Republic
The biggest selling Irish act in both 2017 and 2018, and the nation’s hottest musical export in decades, Picture This arrived as a phenomenon with their self-titled 2017 full-length debut, Picture This. Certified triple-platinum in Ireland, it held the #1 spot Overall in the country for four weeks, while topping the Streaming Chart for seven weeks. Moreover, it remained in the Top 5 since release. Just over two years since their formation, they’ve impressively sold over 400K tickets.

UPCOMING RELEASES 

Badflower - OK, I'm Sick - Big Machine Records
Badflower releases their debut album OK, I'm Sick as the first signing on new joint venture Big Machine Records/John Varvatos Records. Since their emergence in 2014, the group has become one of L.A.’s most buzzed about Rock bands, achieving a 2-week run at No. 1 on KROQ’s Locals Only Show with “Heroin.” The crushing realness of their latest single “Ghost” brought the band to the attention of iHeartRadio who spotlighted them as an On The Verge Artist.

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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 02-08-19

Bob Mould - Sunshine Rock - Merge Records
The cliché that circulated after the 2016 election foretold a new artistic golden age: Artists would transform their anger and anxiety into era-defining works of dissent in the face of authoritarianism. Yet Bob Mould calls his new album Sunshine Rock. It’s not because Mould—whose face belongs on the Mount Rushmore of alternative music—likes the current administration. His decision to “write to the sunshine,” as he describes it, comes from a more personal place—a place found in Berlin, Germany, where he’s spent the majority of the last three years. Here Mould would draw inspiration from the new environments.

Jessica Pratt - Quiet Signs - Mexican Summer
Jessica Pratt is not a loud performer. She does not have to be. In a club of a few hundred, even the bar staff are known to go quiet while she's on stage. Her third album, Quiet Signs, feels like a distillation of this power. The album leads off with "Opening Night," a nod to Gena Rowlands' harrowing, brilliant performance in the John Cassavetes film of the same name. It’s also an emblem of where this spare, mysterious collection of songs falls in the course of Pratt’s career.

 

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Ariana Grande - Thank U, Next - Republic
Ariana Grande returns with her fifth studio album Thank U, Next. Following the release of her previous studio album Sweetener (2018), Grande began working on a new album in October of the same year, enlisting writers and producers such as Tommy Brown, Max Martin, Ilya Salmanzadeh and Andrew "Pop" Wansel. The album was created in the midst of personal matters, including the death of her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller and breaking up with fiancé Pete Davidson.  

 

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LCD Soundsystem - Electric Lady Sessions - Sony
Recorded at the famed Electric Lady Studios in NYC's Greenwich Village Electric Lady Sessions is a live collection featuring classic LCD Soundsystem songs, three covers, and newer material from the band's # 1 album from 2018, American Dream. 

Yak - Pursuit Of Momentary Happiness - Third Man Records
Few albums in rock ‘n’ roll history have seen its creator’s obsession veer so close to self-destruction, as Yak's Pursuit Of Momentary Happiness. For singer, guitarist and driving force Oli Burslem, making his band’s second album became about pursuing his artistic vision at the expense of all else, including his own financial security, and mental health. Who else these days invests every single penny available to them into recording, to the point where they become homeless? If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Where have all the guitar rockstars gone?,” we have an answer: they are sleeping in the back of an old Citroën in a London alleyway awaiting the release of their hard-earned masterpiece. Listening to Pursuit Of Momentary Happiness, you frequently feel the white-knuckle monomania of Yak’s mission. It’s one of those once-in-a-decade records, whose sheer sense of belief and commitment pulsates through every nanosecond of boundary-breaking sound – like Spiritualized’s Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space, and Tame Impala’s Innerspeaker, both of whose creators had a part to play in its genesis. Guitar music is alive and well on Pursuit of Momentary Happiness, and with Yak on the scene, we expect it’s not going anywhere.

 

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The Lemonheads - Varshons 2 - Fire Records
The Lemonheads follow up the critically acclaimed Varshons from nearly ten years ago with another eclectic collection of covers. Produced by director Matthew Cullen and mastered by Howie Weinberg (Beastie Boys, Nirvana, The Ramones), their tenth studio album brims with the slowly-matured vocal of Evan Dando as he lures a host of personal faves to his melodic lair. He really has become one of the great expressive singers of our time.  

UPCOMING RELEASES 

J.S. Ondara - Tales Of America - Big Machine Records
J.S. Ondara offers a unique take of the American dream on Tales Of America, his debut album. Born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, J.S. fell in love with Bob Dylan and moved to Minneapolis Minnesota when he was 20 to pursue a career as a singer-songwriter. He notes other musical influences as Neil Young, Noah Gundersen, Damien Rice and Ray LaMontagne. His debut album, Tales of America, is an examination of the American Dream from an outsider's perspective; an introspection on a universal matter.

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