Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of November 06, 2012. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
Aerosmith – Music From Another Dimension (Columbia)
All That Remains – A War You Cannot Win (Razor & Tie Recordings)
Anaal Nathrakh – Vanitas (Candlelight/Lumberjack)
Andy Stott – Luxury Problems (Modern Love)
Anstam – Stones And Woods (Monkeytown Records)
ASC – Lost Sync – Part 2 (Samurai Red Seal)
Autumn Owls – Between Buildings, Toward The Sea (Epitonic)
DaVinci – The MOEna Lisa (SWTBRDS)
Dionne Warwick – Now (Blue Horizon Venture)
Doro – Raise Your Fist (Nuclear Blast US)
The Epilogues – Cinematics (Red General)
Geoff Tate – Kings & Thieves (Inside Out US)
Graveyard – Lights Out (Nuclear Blast US)
Isis – Temporal (Ipecac Recordings)
Kylie Minogue – The Abbey Road Sessions (Parlophone)
Lindstrom – Smalhans (Smalltown Supersound)
Ne-Yo – R.E.D. (Motown/PGD)
Pangaea – Release (Hessle Audio)
Paragon – Force of Destruction (Napalm Records)
Prince Rama – Top Ten Hits Of The End Of The World (Paw Tracks)
Public Enemy – Most Of My Heroes Still Don’t Appear On No Stamp (Eastlink)
Public Enemy – The Evil Empire Of Everything (King Midas)
Rage Nucleaire – Unrelenting Fucking Hatred (Season Of Mist)
Saigon – The Greatest Story Never Told Chapter 2: Bread and Circuses (Suburban Noize Recordings)
The Seeking – Yours Forever (Provident)
Sigha – Scene Couple/Brood (Hotflush Recordings)
Skalmold – Born Loka (Napalm Records)
Slingshot Dakota – Dark…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of October 23, 2012. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
Alexa Borden – Rule The World (Borden Records) …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead – Lost Songs – Rudy Klapper (Superball Music)
Andy Burrows – Company (Play It Again, Sam)
Anita Baker – Only Forever (Blue Note Records/EMI)
Bat For Lashes – The Haunted Man (Capitol)
Bayside – Covers (Vol. 1) (Gumshoe Records)
Behold The Arctopus – Horrorscension (Red General Catalog)
Being As An Ocean – Dear G-d (Invogue Records)
Billy Ray Cyrus – Change My Mind (Blue Cadillac Music)
Black Moth Super Rainbow – Cobra Juicy (Rad Cult)
Breach & Midland – 101/Somewhere (Naked Naked)
Bridgit Mendler – Hello My Name Is.. (Hollywood Records)
Clan Of Xymox – Kindred Spirits (Metropolis Records)
Colbie Caillat – Christmas In The Sand (Universal Republic)
Current Value – Quantum Physics (Barcode Recordings)
Current Value & Bryan Fury – Posthuman/Get Blood (Smackdown Recordings)
Darling Farah – Body: Remixed (Civil)
Diamond Rings – Free Dimensional (Astralwerks)
Dom & Roland – Strobe/Goliath (Dom & Roland Productions)
Fontanelle – Vitamin F (Southern Lord)
Further Seems Forever – Penny Black (Rise Records)
Gary Clark Jr. – Blak And Blu (Warner Bros.)
Germ – Loss (AIS)
A Life Once Lost – Ecstatic Trance (Season Of Mist)
Main Attrakionz – Bossalinis & Fooliyones (Red General Catalog)
Man In A Crowd – Don’t Paint…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of October 16, 2012. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
Anberlin – Vital (Universal Republic) – SowingSeason
BATS – The Sleep Of Reason (Richter Collective)
Ben Gibbard – Former Lives (Barsuk)
Biome – The Prayer (Dubstep For Deep Heads)
Boys Noize – Out Of The Black (Ingrooves)
Brandy – Two Eleven (RCA)
Connor Maynard – Contrast (Capitol)
Consequence & ASC – Noisy Spirits In This Soul/Snow Wolf (Samurai Red Seal)
Creative Adult – Dead Air (Broke Hater)
Daphni – JIAOLONG (Merge Records)
DaVinci – The MOEna Lisa (SWTBRDS)
Dethklok – Metalocalypse: Dethklok Dethalbum III (William Street)
Donald Fagen – Sunken Condos (Reprise)
Dynfari – Sem Skugginn (Code 666)
Earlimart – System Preferences (The Shipp Records)
A Fine Frenzy – Pines (Virgin Records) Godspeed You! Black Emperor – ‘Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend! (Constellation) – Eli Kleman
The HAARP Machine – Disclosure (100% Womon)
The Herbaliser – There Were Seven (Redeye)
The Infamous String Dusters – Sky-High (High Country Recordings)
In Fear And Faith – In Fear And Faith (Rise Records)
Jamey Johnson – Livin’ For A Song: A Tribute To Hank Cochran (Mercury Nashville) Jason Aldean – Night Train (Broken Bow)
Jason Lytle – Dept. Of Disappearance (Anti Records)
Kem – What Christmas Means (Xenon)
Kendrick Lemar – good kid, m.A.A.d. city (Aftermath)
K’Naan – Country, God Or The Girl (Octone)
Martha Wainwright – Come…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of October 09, 2012. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
The Acacia Strain – Death Is The Only Mortal (Rise Records) A.C. Newman – Shut Down The Streets (Matador Records) – Rudy Klapper
All Time Low – Don’t Panic (Hopeless Records)
Alphabet Backwards – Little Victories (Highline Records)
August Burns Red – Sleddin’ Hill: A Holiday Album (Solid State Records)
Barbara Streisand – Release Me (Columbia) Between The Buried And Me – The Parallax II: Future Sequence (Metal Blade)
The Birthday Massacre – Hide And Seek (Metropolis Records) Blut Aus Nord – 777 – Cosmosophy (Season Of Mist)
Break & Survival – Stano/Going Over (Dispatch)
Caustic – The Man Who Couldn’t Stop (Metropolis Records)
Chrome Canyon – Elemental Themes (Stone Throw) Coheed & Cambria – The Afterman: Ascension (Xenon)
Cold Showers – Love And Regret (Dais Records) Converge – All We Love We Leave Behind (Epitaph) – SowingSeason
The Cringe – Hiding In Plain Sight (Listen Records)
Disclosure – The Face: Remixes (Greco Roman)
Electric Six – Absolute Pleasure (Metropolis Records)
Ellie Goulding – Halcyon (Interscope Records)
Freelance Whales – Diluvia (Mom & Pop Music)
Hostage Calm – Please Remain Calm (Red General Catalog)
Indigo – Neveah (On The Edge)
Inhale Exhale – Movement (Red Cord Records)
Italians Do It Better (VA) – After Dark 2 (Italians Do It…
Proving that an impressively played festival set can pay future dividends, yours truly dug deep into his hip pocket to see Yellowcard after they had made quite the positive impression during their 40 minute set last year. Considering that previous to that Australian performance, the Floridian quintet shared headlining duties with Sum 41, then it was safe to say that us Aussies had been craving a full Yellowcard headline set for quite some time… And the rather intimate setting of The Hi-Fi Bar in central Melbourne was the perfect venue for the first of two sold-out shows.
First up for the night were local pop-rockers For Our Hero. Having never heard a single song by these youngsters before this night, I actually came away rather impressed. Sure, it was pretty safe stuff without any real distinguishing point… But in their spot of warming up an audience who were predominantly waiting to hear a band such as Yellowcard, then For Our Hero achieved their objective. They sounded clear, crisp & catchy with just enough variety to get by. If they can grow into their own sound as they gain experience, then this could be a band with a bright future.
Continuing the “hero” theme, Australia’s 2nd favourite pop-punk outfit Heroes For Hire were up next. I’m actually a fan of their recorded output thus far in their career. Again, they don’t do anything that hasn’t been done by superior overseas bands, but they do so in a catchy…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of October 02, 2012. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
The Amity Affliction – Chasing Ghosts (Roadrunner Records)
AxeWound – Vultures (The End Records)
Balmorhea – Stranger (Western Vinyl)
Beth Orton – Sugaring Season (Anti Records)
Black Sun Empire – From The Shadows (Black Sun Empire)
Blake Shelton – Cheers, It’s Christmas (Warner Bros)
California Wives – Art History (Vagrant Records)
The Casket Lottery and Touche Amore – Split (No Sleep Records)
Cher Lloyd – Sticks & Stones (Epic)
Chris Rene – I’m Right Here (Epic)
Dark Dark Dark – Who Needs Who (Supply And Demand)
Diana Krall – Glad Rag Doll (Verve)
Distance – Troubles/Rugged (Get Darker)
Flying Lotus – Until The Quiet Comes (Warp Records)
Frank Turner – Last Minutes And Lost Evenings [CD/DVD] (Epitaph)
Hammock – Departure Songs (Hammock Music)
Heart – Fanatic (Legacy)
Iris Dement – Sing The Delta (Flariella Records)
Jackie Evancho – Songs From The Silver Screen (Columbia)
Kromestar & Jay5ive – Knowledge (Deep Medi Muzik)
Marillion – Sounds That Can’t Be Made (Eagle Rock Entertainment)
Matt & Kim – Lightning (Fader Label)
Miguel – Kaleidoscope Dream (RCA) Moon Duo – Circles (Sacred Bones)
The Mountain Goats – Transcendental Youth (Merge Records)
Muse – The 2nd Law (Warner Bros) Papa Roach – The Connection (Eleven Seven Music)
The Piano Guys – The Piano Guys (Sony Masterworks)
Randomer – We…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of September 25, 2012. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
Angie Stone – Rich Girl (Saguaro Road Records) As I Lay Dying – Awakened (Metal Blade)
The Bad Plus – Made Possible (Entertainment One Music)
Bettye LaVette – Thankful N’ Thoughtful (ANTI Records)
Bullet – Full Pull (Nuclear Blast America)
Caspian – Waking Season (Triple Crown)
Chris Cohen – Overgrown Path (Captured Tracks)
Collapse Under The Empire – Fragments Of A Prayer (Finaltune)
Danny! – Payback (Okayplayer Records)
Deadmau5 – >album title goes here< (Ultra Records)
Deception Of A Ghost – Life Right Now (Bullet Tooth)
DJ Shadow – Reconstructed: The Best Of (Hip-O)
Dragonette – Bodyparts (Dragonette Inc.)
Dum Dum Girls – End Of Daze (Sub Pop)
Efterklang – Piramida (4AD Records) Green Day – iUno! (Reprise)
Handguns – Angst (Pure Noise)
In Dying Arms – Boundaries (Razor & Tie)
Jason Collett – Reckon (Arts & Crafts)
John Hiatt – Mystic Pinball (New West Records)
Levek – Look A Little Closer (Lefse Records)
John Frusciante – PBX Funicular Intaglio Zone (101 Distribution)
Ludovico Technique – Some Things Are Beyond Therapy (Metropolis Records)
Lupe Fiasco – Food & Liquor 2: The Great American Rap Album – Part 1 (Atlantic)
Melody’s Echo Chamber – Melody’s Echo Chamber (Fat Possum Records)
Michael McDermott – Hit Me Back (Rock Ridge Music)
Monuments – Gnosis (Century Media)
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of September 18, 2012. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
Aimee Mann – Charmer (SuperEgo Records)
All The Right Moves – When Your Compass Breaks (All The Right Moves)
Alt-J – An Awesome Wave (Atlantic)
ASC – Lost Sync – Part 1 (Samurai Red Seal)
Band Of Horses – Mirage Rock (Columbia)
Becoming the Archetype – I Am (Solid State Records)
Ben Folds Five – The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind Out (Sony)
Big & Rich – Hillbilly Jedi (Warner Bros.)
Breakbot – By Your Side (Ed Banger/Because Music)
Brother Ali – Mourning In America And Dreaming In Color (Rhymesayers)
The Burning Of Rome – With Us (Surfdog)
Carly Rae Jespen – Kiss (Interscope Records)
Corin Tucker Band – Kill My Blues (Kill Rock Stars)
Data – Visualizations Vol. 3 (Horizons Music) The Devin Townsend Project – Epicloud (HevyDevy) – Irving Tan Zhi Mian
Dinosaur Jr. – I Bet On Sky (Jagjaguwar)
Dwight Yoakam – 3 Pears (Warner Bros.)
Earlimart – System Preferences [Digital Release] (The Ship)
Easton Corbin – All Over The Road (Mercury Nashville)
Eddie Izzard – Live at Madison Square Garden (Largo/Epitaph)
Fourplay – Espirit De Four (Heads Up)
The Gaslamp Killer – Breakthrough (Brainfeeder)
GOOD Music – Cruel Summer (Island/Def-Jam)
The Goodnight – Keep Control (The Goodnight)
Go Radio – Close The Distance (Fearless Records)
Grizzly Bear – Shields (Warp Records) …
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of September 11, 2012. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
Akon – Stadium (Universal Republic)
Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra – Theatre Is Evil (8 Ft. Records)
Anchorless – Bridges Burned, Lessons Learned (Anchorless)
Apathy – Fire Walk With Me (Dirty Version Records)
The Avett Brothers – The Carpenter (Universal Republic)
Billy Talent – Dead Silence (Last Gang Records)
Blaqk Audio – Bright Black Heaven (Red General Catalog)
Bob Dylan – Tempest (Columbia)
Boyfrndz – All Day Pass (Boyfrndz)
Bucky Covington – Good Guys (Entertainment One Music)
Calexico – Algiers (Anti Records) Chris Robinson Brotherhood – The Magic Door (Silver Arrow Records)
Commodo – Buckwild/Axis (Deep Medi Muzik)
Dave Matthews Band – Away From The World (RCA)
David Byrne & St. Vincent – Love This Giant (4AD/Todo Mundo)
De/Vision – Rockets & Swords (Metropolis Records)
Deserters – The Slow Rhythms Of A Dead Beat (Mediaskare)
Dismantled – Whole Wide World (Metropolis Records)
DMX – Undisputed (Seven Arts Records)
Field Report – Field Report (Partisan Records) The Helio Sequence – Negotiations (Sub Pop) – Rudy Klapper
Hoobastank – Fight Or Flight (Open E Entertainment Inc.)
Hooded Menace – Effigies Of Evil (Relapse)
IO Echo – Ministry Of Love (IAMSOUND Records)
Kix Brooks – New To This Town (Sony Nashville/Arista)
Little Big Town – Tornado (Capitol)
Ludacris – Ludaversal (Disturbing Tha Peace/Def Jam)
Miggs –…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of September 03, 2012. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
Aesthetische – Powerswitch (Alfa Matrix) Animal Collective – Centipede Hz (Domino)
Azure Ray – As Above So Below (Saddle Creek)
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy – Rattle Them Bones (Savoy Jazz)
Billy Talent – Dead Silence (Last Gang Records)
Blu & Exile – Give Me My Flowers While (Dirty Science)
Bob Mould – Silver Age (Merge Records)
Brian Setzer – Rockabilly Riot: Live From The Planet (Surfdog)
Carlos Cipa – The Monarch And The Viceroy (Denovali) Cat Power – Sun (Matador Records) – Rudy Klapper Chick Corea and Gary Burton – Hot House (Concord Jazz)
Crypts – Crypts (Sargent House)
Cult Of Youth – Love Will Prevail (Sacred Bones)
Dave Stewart – The Ringmaster General (Surfdog)
Deerhoof – Breakup Song (Polyvinyl Records)
DFRNT – Fading (Echodub)
Elbow – Dead In The Boot (Polydor)
The Fresh & Onlys – Long Slow Dance (Mexican Summer)
FIS – Duckdive (Samurai Red Seal) Gallows – Gallows (Venn Records) – Joseph Viney
Ian Hunter & The Rant Band – When I’m President (Slimstyle Records) Imagine Dragons – Night Visions (Interscope Records) – SowingSeason Jens Lekman – I Know What Love Isn’t (Secretly Canadian) – Robin Smith
Karlie Bruce – Paperback Lover (Karlie Bruce)
Korn – The Path Of Totality Tour [CD/DVD] (Shout Factory!) …
Having previously reviewed all three of the band’s albums, I guess it is fair to state that I am Sputnik Music’s undisputed expert in all things British India. From their exciting – if derivative – debut LP ‘Guillotine’, through to disappointing follow-up ‘Thieves’ and solid – if unspectacular – latest release ‘Avalanche’, there has always been some kind of appeal to yours truly… And it has nothing to do with the fact that they’re Melbourne boys like my good self.
Despite the occasional glimpse of promise, however, their two most recent LPs have felt as if the quartet were chasing their tail… Making do, without really progressing to a significant extent. Could that be about to change with the release of new single ‘I Can make You Love Me’? While still definitively British India – especially the yelping vocals of Declan Melia – it definitely took me a little by surprise with its build-up and dynamics. Sure, it still may not be breaking any new ground per se, but it feels like a genuine step forward for a band who I’ve always deemed to have potential.
As for the video; well, who wouldn’t love a drunk, pissed-off, lovelorn and karaoke-singing minotaur wandering the streets in the dark of the night? Hell, I think I’ve felt similarly myself on occasions. Hang on a tick, I think I also saw those identical views… I’ve definitely cursed Festival (aka Festering) Hall once or twice!
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of August 28, 2012. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
50 Weapons – 50 Weapons Of Choice #20-29 (50 Weapons) Alanis Morissette – Havoc And Bright Lights (Collective Sounds) – Joseph Viney
As Artifacts – Strong Hands (As Artifacts)
Beanie Sigel – This Time (Ruffhouse)
Beardfish – The Void (InsideOutMusic)
Bermuda – The Wandering (Mediaskare)
The Chariot – One Wing (Entertainment One Music) Circa Survive – Violent Waves (Circa Survive) – Eli Kleman
City Dwelling Nature Seekers – The Winter Year (City Dwelling Nature Seekers)
Dan Deacon – America (Domino) Dave Porter – Breaking Bad: Original Score (Madison Gate Records)
Deepchord – Sommer (Soma Quality Recordings)
DFRNT – El Spirito (Echodub Recordings)
District – Painting The Mind/Modulate (Chestplate)
DJ Shadow – Total Breakdown: Hidden Transmissions From The MPC Era, 1992-1996 (Reconstruction Productions)
Divine Fits – A Thing Called Divine Fits (Merge Records)
Flobots – The Circle In The Square (Shanachie)
Get Scared – Built For Blame, Laced With Shame (Grey Area Records)
Holy Other – Held (Tri Angle)
Hybrid – Classics (Distinctive Records)
I Am War – Outlive You All (Red Ink)
The Icarus Account – Carry Me Home (The Icarus Account)
Indigo – Ayahuasca/The Root (Exit Recordings)
Jr. Juggernaut – Wake (Paper and Plastick)
Just Like Vinyl – Black Mass (Red General Catalog)
Matthew Dear – Beams (Ghostly International) Minus…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of August 21, 2012. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Mature Themes (4AD Records)
Bill Fay – Life Is People (Dead Oceans)
The Darkness – Hot Cakes (Wind-Up)
Dispatch – Circles Around The Sun (Universal Republic)
Ensiferum – Unsung Heroes (Spinefarm)
JJ DOOM – Key To The Kuffs (Lex Records)
JT Hodges – JT Hodges (Show Dog Universal)
I Am Carpenter – My God Clara (Bessie Pro Records)
Katatonia – Dead End Kings (Peaceville)
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Last Of A Dyin’ Breed (Roadrunner/Loud & Proud)
Nathan Fake – Stream Days (Border Community)
Our Last Night – Age Of Ignorance (Epitaph)
Owl City – The Midsummer Station (Universal Republic)
Project 86 – Wait For The Siren (Project 86)
Ry Cooder – Election Special (Nonesuch)
Six Organs Of Admittance – Ascent (Drag City)
The Smith Street Band – Sunshine & Technology (Poison City Records)
Swans – The Seer (Young God Records)
Teengirl Fantasy – Tracer (R & S Records)
Tenth Avenue North – The Struggle (Reunion) Trey Songz – Chapter V (Atlantic)
At the end of July, Animal Collective released “Today’s Supernatural,” the single from their upcoming release Centipede Hz due out in early September. Before listening to the track, the reemergence of Deakin has been tremendous as seen on the Honeycomb / Gotham split. One might think after the critically acclaimed, and Deakin-less, Merriweather Post Pavilion that Animal Collective would be better without Deakin’s trippy riffs. Yet, after listening to “Gotham,” where the guitar riffs drip like a hot rain, it is clear that the depth and layering of their sound is much more developed than before.
That brings us back to “Today’s Supernatural,” a frantically uptempo track that defines the growth since Strawberry Jam. The track is unusually heavy (reminiscent of “For Reverend Green”), with Panda Bear’s masterful percussion skills throbbing throughout, while Avey Tare shows a multitude of vocal dynamics and moods. Lyrically, Tare paints a picture of the willingness to adventure beyond some mundane life and quite literally ‘letting go’ and enjoying the ride. How the bookend of this ride will sound remains to be seen, but we damn well know Centipede Hz will be an interesting trip, as always.
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of August 14, 2012. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
2 Chainz – Based On A T.R.U. Story (Island/Def Jam) Ash Borer – Cold Of Ages(Profound Lore) – Kyle Ward
American Me – III (Rise Records)
Ben Taylor – Listening (Sun Pedal Recordings)
Black Light Burns – The Moment You Realize You’re Going To Fall (Red General Catalog)
Bloc Party – Four (Frenchkiss)
Blue Daisy & Unknown Shapes – Bedtime Stories (Blackacre Records)
Calyx & Teebee – Elevate This Sound/Hurting (Ram Records) The Classic Crime – Phoenix(Goomba Music) – Davey Boy
Coki – Don’t Get It Twisted Vol. 2 (DMZ)
Dead Can Dance – Anastasis (Pias America)
The-Dream – Love IV MMXII (Def Jam)
Ephel Duath – On Death and Cosmos (AIS)
The Faceless – Autotheism (Sumerian Records)
Four Tet – Pink (Text Records)
From Atlantis – Pedestals (Invogue Records)
The Gashers – Law Is Not Order (Squidhat Records)
Hand Of Mercy – Last Lights (UNFD)
The Holy Mess – Cande Ru Las Degas (Phantom Domestic)
Insane Clown Posse – The Mighty Death Pop! (Psychopathic)
In This Moment – Blood (Red General Catalog)
Jessie Ware – Devotion (Island UK)
Letter To The Exiles – Make Amends (Facedown Records)
Lorelei – Enterprising Sidewalks (Slumberland Records)
Masked Intruder – Masked Intruder (Red Scare)
MNDR – Feed Me Diamonds (Ultra Records)
North Atlantic Oscillation – Fog…
