— “Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.”
It may already be six weeks into 2011, but we’re not going to let that stop us from giving the users of SputnikMusic a voice. Between now and the end of the month you can go here to vote for your favorite albums of 2010. Just make sure you read the rules before voting.
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of February 15 , 2011. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
An Aesthetic Anaesthetic – Ghosts in the Red Wilderness (Bandcamp)
Armageddon Dildos – Untergrund (ALFA-MATRIX)
A Skylit Drive – Identity on Fire (Fearless Records)
Asobi Seksu – Fluorescence (Polyvinyl Records)
Awol One & Factor – The Landmark (Fake Four)
Lisa Batiashvili – Echoes of Time (Deutsche Grammophon)
Beans – End It All (Anticon) Bright Eyes – The People’s Key(Saddle Creek) — Adam Thomas
Brown Recluse – Evening Tapestry (Slumberland Records)
Chixdiggit! – Safeways Here We Come (Fat Wreck Chords)
Close To Home – Never Back Down (Razor & Tie)
Common Man Down – Self Addiction [EP] (Bit Riot Records)
Cowboy Junkies – Demons (Razor & Tie)
Darkest Era – Last Caress of Light (Metal Blade)
DC the Midi Alien – Avengers Airwaves (Brick Records)
The Dears – Degeneration Street (Dangerbird Spain)
Death – Sound of Perseverance [Reissue] (Relapse)
Deicide –…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of February 08 , 2011. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead – Tao of the Dead(SUPERBALL MUSIC) — Rudy Klapper
Akron/Family – S/T II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT (DEAD OCEANS)
David Arkenstone – Ambient World (Domo Records)
Nicole Atkins – Mondo Amore (Razor & Tie)
Belphegor – Blood Magick Necromance {USA} (Nuclear Blast) James Blake – James Blake(Universal Republic)
Tion Bukue – Nome De Plume (Bandcamp)
Covenant – Modern Ruin (Metropolis Records)
Crowbar – Sever The Wicked Hand (Entertainment One Music) Cut Copy – Zonoscope(Modular Records) — Rudy Klapper
Dave Dub/Sutter Cain Gang – Mind Police (M9 Entertainment)
Miles Davis – Bitches Brew LIVE (Sony Legacy)
Edge of Dawn – Stage Fright [EP] (Metropolis Records)
Kurt Elling – The Gate (Concord Records)
Esben & The Witch – Violet Cries (Matador Records)
Joe Farrell – Penny Arcade (101 DISTRIBUTION) Fen – Epoch(Code666) Goldenboy – Sleepwalker(Eenie Meenie Records)
Hell Rell and J.R. Writer – Gun Clap (Siccness.net)
Helrunar – Sol I – Der Dorn Im Nebel (Prophecy)
Hocico – Tiempos de Furia (Metropolis Records) In Every Breath – Awakening [EP] (Band Camp)
Late Night Alumni – Haunted [Digital Only] (Ultra Records)
LBC Crew – Haven’t You Heard (Wideawake…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of February 01 , 2011. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
Abysmal Dawn – Leveling the Plane of Existence(Relapse Records) — Jared Ponton
Amplifier – The Octopus (Self-Released) Chase and Status – No More Idols(Mercury Records)
The Civil Wars – Barton Hollow (101 DISTRIBUTION)
Steve Cole – Moonlight (Artistry Music)
The Dirtbombs – Party Store (In the Red Records)
Aretha Franklin – The Great American Songbook (Arista) Thomas Giles – Pulse (Metal Blade) The Go! Team – Rolling Blackouts(Memphis Industries) — Robin Smith
Paul Hardcastle – Desire (TRIPPIN & RHYTHM)
Dave Hause – Resolutions ( Paper + Plastick Records)
Hercules and Love Affair – Blue Songs (Moshi Moshi Music)
The Insane Warrior (RJD2) – We are the Doorways (RJ’s Electrical Connections)
The JaneDear Girls – The JaneDear Girls (Reprise) Lazarus A.D. – Black Rivers Flow(Metal Blade Records)
Bobby Long – A Winter Tale (ATO Records)
David Lowery – The Palace Guards (429 Records)
Manowar – Battle Hymns MMXI – Battle Hymns 2011 (MAGIC CIRCLE MUSIC)
Bob Marley – Live Forever: The Stanley Theatre, Pittsburgh PA [2 CDs] (TUFF GONG/UMGD)
Ricky Martin – Musica + Alma + Sexo (Sony U.S. Latin)
Matisyahu – Live at Stubb’s Vol.II (RED GENERAL CATALOG)
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes – Go Down Under (Fat Wreck Chords)
North Mississippi Allstars…
Eisley’s first album in almost four years is about to be released through Equal Vision Records on March 1st. The album is called The Valley, and this song “Ambulance” is taken from it.
The Valley was recorded at Rosewood Studios in their hometown of Tyler, Texas, with producer/engineers Gary Leach and Austin Deptula (LeAnn Rimes), and mixed by Andy Freeman at Bay Area Tone in San Francisco. The album’s title refers to the emotional turmoil that the DuPree sisters, who front Eisley, experienced as they crafted their third album: Sherri enduring a failed marriage; Chauntelle, a broken engagement; and Stacy, a painful breakup. The only relationship that ended on their terms was the split with Warner Bros. Records, the label that released their first two albums and several EPs. Promising to bring listeners through the band’s darkest and most trying times, “The Valley” reveals their strength, patience and perseverance. On tracks like “Smarter” and “Sad,” there’s a musical aggression and emotional urgency that transports you to the moment they were written, laying bare the open wound of the broken heart. And the chilling album closer, “Ambulance,” is an icy snapshot of the very moment of betrayal and abandonment. Elsewhere, there’s a stately solace in the hopeful “Kind” and whimsical “Mr. Moon,” and buoyant string arrangements decorate opener “The Valley” and “Watch It Die.”
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of January 25 , 2011. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of January 18 , 2011. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
The Afro Soultet – Afrodesia (Luv N Haight)
Gregg Allman – Low Country Blues (Rounder)
Aquabats – Hi-Five Soup! (Fearless Records) Blackmore’s Night – Autumn Sky(Spinefarm/Fontana)
James Blunt – Some Kind Of Trouble (Atlantic) Braids – Native Speaker(Kanine Records) — Adam Downer
Cobra Skulls – Bringing The War Home (Fat Wreck Chords) The Decemberists – The King Is Dead(Capitol) — Adam Thomas
Elusive – Hip Hop For Hipsters (Elusive)
Brandon Heath – Leaving Eden (Provident)
Lady Lazarus – Mantic (Apartment Life Records)
Steve Lukather – All’s Well That Ends Well (Mascot Records)
Madlib – Low Budget High Fi Music (Madlib Invazion)
Moon Blazers – The Milky Williams Quintet (Domination Recordings) Motorhead – The World Is Yours(Motörhead Music/UDR) — Joseph Viney Amanda Palmer – Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under(Self Released)
Pearl Jam – Live On Ten Legs (Monkeywrench)
Roomful of Blues – Hook, Line & Sinker (Alligator Records) The Sand Band – All Through the Night(Go To Hell/Deltasonic) — Keelan H. The Script – Science & Faith(Phonogenic) — Davey Boy
Smith Westerns – Dye It Blonde (Fat Possum)
Social Distortion – Hard Times And Nursery Rhymes (Epitaph) Stratovarius – Elysium…
As much as year-end lists are basically a conglomeration of everything said about an album over a twelve-month period, it would be criminal not to repeat once more the artistic merits of Joanna Newsom. Newsom went from a quirky (bordering on annoying) harpist intent on increasing her listeners’ patience to a well-developed songwriter and accomplished vocalist who learned how to trim the fat from her songs to create a much better product, and from an elfish girl who posed in animal skins to a sexy woman in hot pants and high heels. She has always had ambition, but never has she been as focused as she is on Have One on Me, which overflows with realized potential and the kind of songs we always knew she could write. Perhaps what is most surprising about the album is the fact that, after her grating warble on Ys, the songs on this album go down easy. Yes, like falling asleep. – Channing F.
It has come to the point where we can safely proclaim that Floridian quintet Anberlin could not record a bad album if they tried. Their fifth LP, Dark Is the Way, Light Is a Place, may not be as ambitious or influential as Cities, nor as catchy and immediate as New Surrender, but it turns out to be a real grower. Densely layered and subtle musical touches abound, but it is Stephen Christian’s majestic vocal work that takes center stage. From the catchy ‘Impossible’ to the acoustic ‘Down,’ from the hard-hitting ‘To The Wolves’ to the splendid ‘The Art of War,’ there is something for everyone on this slightly back-loaded LP that contains absolutely no filler. – Davey B.
The Saddest Landscape got everything right in 2010. Mostly, it involved just being there. See, ever since their hiatus five years ago, there’s been a Saddest Landscape-shaped hole in the musical scene where a band who continually pushed sonic boundaries used to be. Then, out of nowhere, they took everything that happened in post-hardcore since their departure and crammed in
From First to Last to simply first, Sonny Moore’s debut as an electro fiend with a penchant for wicked bass drops and unintelligible Auto-Tune somehow worked, in its own messy way. Skrillex will never win any critical awards, but as the rawest form of party starter, few could match up to the relentless stream of house, electro and dubstep that Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites spits out. Pills not included. – Rudy K.
Girls’ follow-up EP still wrestles with all the youthful pensiveness that made Album such a revelation but this time Christopher Owens’ melodrama ditches its scrappy lo-fi distinction for a timeless, polished gleam that’s much more welcoming. With partner Chet “JR” White’s production coming into full swing, this is the sound of a confessional with guitars evolving into an actual band. – Kiran S.
The Jezabels are the rarest kind of alternative rock band. They’re musicians who don’t let accessibility get in the way of artistic ambition, who boast a rhythm section operating as much…
Happy holidays to all of the Sputnik Music faithful. The last four weeks of the year are a notoriously slow time for new releases, and it just doesn’t make sense to release multiple news articles during such a slow time period. The following is a list of major releases through the end of 2010. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors. This article will be updated as necessary.
Week of December 07
Amia Venera Landscape – The Long Procession(Self Released) — Trey Spencer
Natasha Bedingfield – Strip Me (Epic)
Copywrite – Life & Times/Peter Nelson (Man Bites Dog Records) Daft Punk – Tron Legacy [Soundtrack](Walt Disney Records)
Damu The Fudgemunk – Supply For Demand (Redefinition Records) Deadmau5 – 4×4=12(Ultra Records)
Duffy – Endlessly (Mercury)
Flyleaf – Remember to Live (A&M/OCTONE) Hinder – All American Nightmare(Universal Republic)
Christian Kane – The House Rules (Bigger Picture) Plain White T’s – Wonders of the Younger(Hollywood Records)
Redman – Reggie (Def Jam)
T.I. – No Mercy (Atlantic)
Robin Trower – The Playful Heart (V-12 RECORDS)
Charlie Wilson – Just Charlie (Jive)
Week of December 14 Crystal Bowersox – Farmer’s Daughter (Jive)
Ciara – Basic Instinct (La Face)
The Damned Things – Ironiclast (Mercury)
Diddy and Dirty Money – The Last Train To Paris (Bad Boy Records)
Michael Jackson – Michael (Epic)
R. Kelly – Love Letter (Jive)
Like Moths…
The amount of quality new releases is slowing dwindling in favor of generic Christmas albums and greatest hits packages, but nothing can be done about that. To pass some time, consider reading Adam Thomas’ interview with Ryan Parrish of Darkest Hour.
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of November 30 , 2010. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
Eric Benet – Lost In Time (Reprise/Wea)
Black Eyed Peas – The Beginning (Interscope Records)
Buckethead – Left Hanging (TDRS Music)
Circa Survive – Appendage [EP] (Atlantic Records)
Fefe Dobson – Joy (Island)
Ron Isley – Mr I (Def Jam)
JR & PH7 – The Update (SoulSpazm Records)
King Cannibal – The Way of the Ninja (Ninja Tune)
Tim McGraw – Number One Hits (Curb Records)
Chrisette Michele – Let Freedom Reign (Def Jam)
Miguel – All I Want Is You (Jive)
Soman – Noistyle [Digital Only] (Infacted)
The Republic of Wolves – Varuna (Self Released)
Flo Rida – Only One Flo (Part 1) (Atlantic)
Seven Days – Into Forever (Phantom Domestic)
Simian Mobile Disco – Delicacies (+1 Records)
Slim Thug – Tha Thug Show (Entertainment One Music)
Soulja Boy – The DeAndre Way (Interscope Records)
Jazmine Sullivan – Love Me Back (J-Records)
Steve Wynn – Northern Aggression (Yep Roc Records)
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Album Streams (please inform us of any broken links/removed streams):
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of November 23 , 2010. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
Agalloch – Marrow of the Spirit (Profound Lore)
After the Burial – In Dreams (SUMERIAN RECORDS)
Akon – Akonic (Konvict Muzik/Universal Motown)
Alchemist+Oh No – Gangrene: Gutter Water (DECON INC)
Lloyd Banks – H.F.M.2 (Hunger For More 2) (G-Unit/EMI)
Big L – Return of the Devil’s Son (SMC Recordings)
Justin Bieber – My Worlds Acoustic (101 DISTRIBUTION)
The Chariot – Long Live (Good Fight Music)
Crematory – Black Pearls {EU} (Massacre Records)
Darkwater – Where Stories End (RED GENERAL CATALOG)
Doro – 25 Years In Rock {EU} (Nuclear Blast)
Kevin Eubanks – Zen Food (Mack Avenue)
Fat Music Vol. 7: Harder, Fatter + Louder! [Various Artists] (Fat Wreck Chords)
God Dethroned – Under the Sign of the Iron Cross (Metal Blade)
Gotthard – Heaven: Best of Ballads Part 2 {EU} (Indie Europe/Zoom)
Hardcore Superstar – Split Your Lip {EU} (Indie Europe/Zoom)
Impaled Nazarene – Road to the Octagon (Osmose Records)
Inspectah Deck – Manifesto Redux (Urban Icons Records)
Alan Jackson – 34 Number Ones (Sony Nashville)
Jay-Z – The Hits Collection Vol. 1 (Def Jam)
Jesus Culture – Come Away (Km: Kingsway Music)
Ke$ha – Cannibal [EP] (RCA)
Killing Joke – Absolute Dissent (Universal Int’l)
Killing the Dream – Lucky Me (Deathwish Inc)
Maestro Fresh-Wes – The Black Tie Affair (MFW Records)
Yngwie…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of November 16 , 2010. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
Bryan Adams – Bare Bones (Decca) A Day To Remember – What Separates Me From You(Victory Records)
Bombay Bicycle Club – Flaws (Island)
Cassidy – Cash (Entertainment One Music)
Crushed Stars – Convalescing In Braille (Simulacra Records)
Curren$y – Pilot Talk 2 (Def Jam)
Lee DeWyze – Live It Up (RCA)
Jackie Evancho – O Holy Night [CD/DVD] (Columbia)
Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album [Soundtrack] (Columbia)
Josh Groban – Illuminations (143 Records)
Norah Jones – …Featuring Norah Jones [Collection of Collaborations] (Blue Note Records)
Kid Rock – Born Free (Atlantic)
Annie Lennox – A Christmas Cornucopia (Decca Records)
Loreena McKennitt – The Wind That Shakes The Barley (Verve)
Nelly – 5.0 (Universal Motown)
P!nk – Greatest Hits…So Far!!! (La Face)
Pink Martini – Joy To The World (Heinz Records)
The Pipettes – Earth vs. The Pipettes (FORTUNA POP)
Rascal Flatts – Nothing Like This (Big Machine Records)
John Regan – Sorry I’m Late (Culture VI)
Rihanna – Loud (Def Jam)
Showbread – Who Can Know It? (Come&Live!)
Bruce Springsteen – The Promise [Compilation of Unreleased Songs] (Columbia)
Stereolab – Not Music (Drag City) Solefald – Norrøn Livskunst (Indie Recordings) — Trey Spencer Suicidal Angels – Dead Again (NoiseArt Records) Chris Tomlin – And If Our…
Just a handful of weeks left before 2010 is officially over, but there are still a few more releases left that are going to be worth checking out. In the blog section, be sure to check out Tyler Munro’s interview with Kelly Shaefer of Atheist.
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of November 09 , 2010. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
The Aquabats! – Radio Down! [EP] (Fearless Records)
Alter Bridge – AB III (Alter Bridge Recordings)
Marsha Ambrosius [Floetry] – Late Nights & Early Mornings (J-Records)
As I Lay Dying – The Powerless Rise [Box Set] (Metal Blade) Atheist – Jupiter(Season of Mist) — Tyler Munro
Attrition – Dreamtime Collectors (Metropolis Records)
Behemoth – Evangelia Heretika [CD/DVD] (Metal Blade Records)
Bon Jovi – Greatest Hits: The Ultimate Collection (Island)
Susan Boyle – The Gift (Syco Music)
Brokencyde – Will Never Die (BreakSilence Recordings) Cee-Lo Green – The Ladykiller(Radiculture/Elektra)
Julie Christmas – The Bad Wife (Rising Pulse Records)
Clan Of Xymox – Hidden Faces (Metropolis Records) The Concretes – WYWH(101 DISTRIBUTION)— Kiran Soderqvist Conjure One – Exilarch(Nettwerk Records) — Trey Spencer Crade of Filth – Darkly Darkly Venus Aversa(Nuclear Blast)
Dave Matthews Band – Live In New York City [2-CDs] (RCA)
Deathspell Omega – Paracletus (Norma Evangelium…
01. Angelicus
02. Love
03. After All
04. Terra Firma
05. Innocente
06. Self-Saboteur
07. The Way You Want It To Be
08. Twilight
09. Flowers Become Screens
10. Silence
11. Incantation (encore)
12. Forgotten Worlds (credit roll)
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Bill Leeb has had an exhausting, yet productive year. He released Improvised Electronic Devices with his Front Line Assembly project, an acoustic album with Delerium, and apparently he’s also just about finished with Delerium’s next full-length album. As if that wasn’t enough, he also managed to get a live DVD released of Delerium’s 2008 performance at Nightclub 9:30 in Washington D.C. with additional footage from Atlanta, West Palm Beach and Montreal. For those that are unfamiliar with Delerium and their music, a live performance might not sound like that big of an undertaking, but it certainly is. Thankfully, despite a few hiccups, Epiphany is an enjoyable experience that is punctuated by stunning visuals and a great clear sound.
Kristy Thirsk
Let’s be honest, Delerium’s music is not exactly built for a live setting. The band’s combination of world music, smooth new age and electronic pop is great for chilling out to, but watching stationary musicians for ninety-five minutes would be a tedious prospect. Fortunately, someone else was thinking the same thing and they incorporated a lot of great visual elements into the DVD’s presentation. The most noticeable…
