Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of September 1, 2017. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors. As our staff post reviews of these albums, links will appear below the art work so that you can read about the release, see how we scored it, and more.
American Dream is LCD Soundsystem’s first album in seven years, following 2010’s This Is Happening. Featuring the band’s most vibrant and colorful album artwork to date, American Dream also feels warmer and more expansive than past records. A lot of the tracks, especially the lead single ‘Call The Police’, seem to be heavily channeling James Murphy’s inner David Bowie/U2. In a year filled with high-profile comebacks, LCD Soundsystem stands proudly near the top of the totem pole, boasting a must-hear record for fans of electronic-influenced rock and post-punk.
Listen to “Call The Police”, below:
– Full List of Releases: September 1, 2017 –
Anubis Gate: Covered in Black
Genre: Progressive/Power Rock & Metal // Label: Nightmare Records
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Cloud Control: Zone
Genre: Indie-Pop/Psychedelic, Dream-Pop // Label: Votiv Music
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Epica: The Solace System
Genre: Power Metal/Classical/Goth // Label: Nuclear Blast
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of August 25, 2017. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors. As our staff post reviews of these albums, links will appear below the art work so that you can read about the release, see how we scored it, and more.
–Featured Release: Leprous – Malina–
Genre: Progressive Rock/Experimental/Electronic // Label: Inside Out Music
Background:
Leprous is a Norwegian progressive metal band formed in 2001 in Notodden, Norway. They originally made their mark as Ihsahn’s (Emperor vocalist/guitarist) backing band in live situations. Don’t let that mislead you, though, because Leprous don’t play progressive black metal. Their first four albums could broadly be categorized as the kind of quirky progressive metal that only seems to come from Norway, but even that doesn’t describe Malina. On Malina, Leprous has dropped any pretense of simply being a progressive metal band and opened their sound to elements only hinted at before –mainly electronic music. It shouldn’t surprise fans of the band that this has finally happened considering the band count Radiohead, Massive Attack, and The Prodigy among more standard influences such as Porcupine Tree and The Dillinger Escape Plan.
Listen to “Illuminate”, below:
– Full List of Releases: August 25, 2017 –
Akercocke: Renaissance in Extremis Genre: Progressive Death Metal // Label: Peaceville Records
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of August 18, 2017. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors. As our staff post reviews of these albums, links will appear below the art work so that you can read about the release, see how we scored it, and more.
–Featured Release: Steven Wilson – “To The Bone”–
Genre: Progressive Rock/Experimental/Psychedelic // Label: Caroline International
Background:
Steven Wilson is among the most consistent artists and producers in the progressive rock scene. Having worked with Opeth extensively, and not to mention spearheading his own successful outfit in Porcupine Tree, Wilson’s most impressive feats may have actually come on the solo front. To The Bone marks his fifth full-length solo LP, coming on the heels of 2015’s Hand. Cannot. Erase and 2013’s The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories). To The Bone is, thematically, a grave look at modern times – however, it is also a nod to the musical influences of his youth. Regarding To The Bone, Wilson has gone on record stating: “My fifth record is in many ways inspired by the hugely ambitious progressive pop records that I loved in my youth…I grew up listening to a lot of very smart pop records by artists like Kate Bush, Talk Talk, Peter Gabriel, Prince, Depeche Mode, Tears for Fears, The The…It struck me that there aren’t too many albums made like that these…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of August 11, 2017. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors. As our staff post reviews of these albums, links will appear below the art work so that you can read about the release, see how we scored it, and more.
– Full List of Releases: August 11, 2017 –
5 Billion In Diamonds: 5 Billion In Diamonds
Genre: Alternative Rock // Label: 100% Records
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Amy O: Elastic
Genre: Alternative Rock // Label: Winspear
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of August 4, 2017. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors. As our staff post reviews of these albums, links will appear below the art work so that you can read about the release, see how we scored it, and more.
– Full List of Releases: August 4, 2017 –
Accept: The Rise Of Chaos
Genre: Heavy Metal/Hard Rock // Label: Nuclear Blast
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Brett Eldredge: Brett Eldredge
Genre: Country // Label: Atlantic Nashville
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Briana Marela: Call It Love
Genre: Indie/Dream Pop // Label: Jagjaguwar
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Dale Crover: The Fickle Finger Of Fate
Genre: Indie-Pop/Alt-Rock // Label: Joyful Noise Recordings
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Dan Wilson: Re-Covered
Genre: Alt-Rock // Label: Ballroom Music / Big Deal Media
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Dead Cross: Dead Cross
Genre: Punk/Thrash Metal/Hardcore // Label: Ipecac Recordings
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Def Leppard: Hysteria (30th Anniversary Edition, Remastered 2017)
Genre: Hard Rock // Label: Mercury
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Marty Friedman: Wall Of Sound
Genre: Metal/New Age // Label: Prosthetic
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Mystery Skulls: One Of Us
Genre: Indie-Pop/Pop-Rock/Electronic // Label:…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of July 28, 2017. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors. As our staff post reviews of these albums, links will appear below the art work so that you can read about the release, see how we scored it, and more.
–Featured Release: Manchester Orchestra – “A Black Mile to the Surface”–
Genre: Indie-Rock // Label: Loma Vista
Following Cope, a straightforward rock album with few tricks up its sleeve, Manchester Orchestra headed back to the drawing board for their fifth LP A Black Mile to the Surface. It feels like the logical successor to Simple Math, soaring atop orchestral strings and dramatic song structures. Purely in terms of rock n’ roll grit, it is easily the farthest the band has ever sounded from Mean Everything To Nothing, but for what it lacks in aggression it more than makes up for in effortless songwriting, immaculate flow, and lyrical aptitude. It feels like the emotional weight of I’m Like a Virgin Losing a Child expressed through the glossy filter of Simple Math‘s production – a prospect that should have a fan of either record salivating in anticipation. Just when it seemed like Manchester Orchestra’s best days might be behind them, they’ve proven themselves to be one of those rare indie-rock mainstays. With a record that sounds comfortingly at home for the band, yet totally unlike anything they’ve crafted thus…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of July 21, 2017. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors. As our staff post reviews of these albums, links will appear below the art work so that you can read about the release, see how we scored it, and more.
–Featured Release: Lana Del Rey – “Lust For Life”–
Genre: Indie-Pop // Label: Interscope
Background:
Lana Del Rey’s career got off to a blazing hot start with Born To Die, and despite the subsequent cool off, she’s still a household name in indie-pop. Ultraviolence was a sultry, dreamlike follow-up that ultimately proved worthwhile, but Honeymoon drew considerably less appeal from fans and critics alike. Her style hasn’t changed much across the board, which might begin to explain the diminishing return. With Lust For Life, she vies to recapture some of that initial luster. For a taste of what is to come, check out her collaboration with The Weeknd below.
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of July 14, 2017. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
– List of Releases: July 14, 2017 –
Bloodclot: Up In Arms
Genre: Metal/Hard Rock // Label: Metal Blade Records
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Boris: Dear
Genre: Drone/Doom Metal // Label: Sargent House
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of July 7, 2017. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors. As our staff post reviews of these albums, links will appear below the art work so that you can read about the release, see how we scored it, and more.
–Featured Release: Broken Social Scene – “Hug of Thunder”–
Genre: Indie Rock/Experimental // Label: Arts & Crafts
Background:
After a seven year layover, Broken Social Scene has returned with all fifteen of its original members. Hug of Thunder marks the follow-up to 2010’s Forgiveness Rock Record, as the band reunites for what Kevin Drew summarized as “…since we’re an anthemic band, we wanted to bring the celebration…It was important for all of us to come together because it’s the only thing we can politically do at this moment in time.” To date, four songs from the record have been officially released, but you can now also stream the whole album via NPR [see below link].
Here’s a list of major new releases for the weeks of June 16-30 of 2017. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
16 June
Alison Moyet: Other
2 Chainz: Pretty Girls Like Trap Music
Arcadea: Arcadea
Bad Cop/Bad Cop: Warriors
Barb Wire Dolls: Rub My Mind
B Boys: Dada
Beth Ditto: Fake Sugar
Big Boi: Boomiverse
Broadside: Paradise
Carach Angren: Dance And Laugh Amongst The Rotten
Cavernlight: As We Cup Our Hands And Drink From The Stream Of Our Ache
Chief Keef: Thot Breaker
Chuck Berry: Chuck
CKY: The Phoenix
Com Truise: Iteration
Currents: The Place I Feel Safest
Dead Head: Swine Plague
Doll Skin: Manic Pixie Dream Girl
The Drums: Abysmal Thoughts
Elegy of Madness: New Era
Entrails: World Inferno
Fleet Foxes: Crack Up
Gaytheist: Let’s Jam Again Soon
House and Land: House and Land
Hundredth: Rare
Iced Earth: Incorruptible
Igorrr: Savage Sinusoid
Impetuous Ritual: Blight Upon Martyred Sentience
Jefre Cantu-Ledesma: On The Echoing Green
Kevin Morby: City Music
Lorde: Melodrama
Matthew Sweet: Tomorrow Forever
Michael Nau: Some Twist
Oh Wonder: Oh Wonder
Palehound: A Place I’ll Always Go
Peaking Lights: The Fifth State Of Consciousness
Portugal. The Man: Woodstock
Ride: Weather Diaries
Royal Blood: How Did…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of June 9, 2017. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors. As our staff post reviews of these albums, links will appear below the art work so that you can read about the release, see how we scored it, and more.
–Featured Release: Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dressner, Nico Muhly, and James McAlister – “Planetarium”–
In 2013, Sufjan Stevens joined up with Nico Muhly, James McAlister, and The National’s Bryce Dressner to create a composition thematically centered around our solar system (I guess he is too big for states now). To date only performed in a live setting (the piece was debuted at Brooklyn Academy of Music over a multi-night span), it is finally being released as an official recording on June 9 via 4AD. It’s pretty much the most hipster thing ever.
Listen to the project’s single “Mercury”:
– Full List of Releases: June 2, 2017 –
Agent Blå: Agent Blue
Genre: Indie/Lo-fi // Label: Kanine Records
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Anathema: The Optimist
Genre: Progressive Rock/Doom Metal // Label: kscope
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Barrabus: Barrabus
Genre: Hard Rock/Metal // Label: Undergroove
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of June 2, 2017. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors. As our staff post reviews of these albums, links will appear below the art work so that you can read about the release, see how we scored it, and more.
Alt-J have become one of indie-rock’s surging experimental acts, thanks to their extremely well-received debut An Awesome Wave as well as their more divisive – but equally impressive – sophomore effort This Is All Yours. If the singles are any indication, RELAXER will further the band’s legacy as innovators within their genre, expounding upon the brand of downtempo art-pop that illuminated sections of 2014’s This Is All Yours. It feels like a defining moment for a band that continues to stretch the confines of its own comfort zone, joining a rather exclusive arena of indie’s most respected, forward-thinking artists. Sink into the record’s lead single, ‘3WW’, for a taste of what is on the horizon.
Listen to Alt-J’s “3WW”:
– Full List of Releases: June 2, 2017 –
Adrenaline Mob: We The People
Genre: Hard Rock/Heavy Metal // Label: Century Media
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of May 26, 2017. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors. As our staff post reviews of these albums, links will appear below the art work so that you can read about the release, see how we scored it, and more.
– Full List of Releases: May 26, 2017 –
8kids: Denen Die Wir Waren
Genre: Hard Rock/Metal // Label: Napalm
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Alestorm: No Grave But The Sea
Genre: Power Metal/Folk // Label: Napalm
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The Charlatans [UK]: Different Days
Genre: Alternative Rock // Label: BMG Rights Management
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Collide: Color of Nothing
Genre: Electronic/Industrial // Label: Independent
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Danzig: Black Laden Crown
Genre: Doom/Gothic Metal // Label: Nuclear Blast
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Dream Evil: Six
Genre: Power/Heavy Metal // Label: Century Media
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Evo: Warfare
Genre: Punk/Metal// Label: High Roller
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Football, etc: Corner
Genre: Emo/Indie-Rock // Label: Community Records
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of May 19, 2017. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors. As our staff post reviews of these albums, links will appear below the art work so that you can read about the release, see how we scored it, and more.
–Featured Release: Linkin Park: “One More Light”–
Genre: Pop // Label: Warner Bros.
Background:
If you ever – whilst wandering the halls of your middle school in 2000, blasting “Papercut” into one of your earbuds – wondered what Linkin Park would sound like in the year 2017, you would have likely envisioned every scenario except what we’re actually presented with here. A transition away from nu-metal and into straightforward rock? Seems plausible. Electronic experimentation? Sure, why not. Melodic pop…Ehh what? Linkin Park are using their seventh full-length LP to explore the boundaries of their pop abilities, and regardless of the fact that this will in all likelihood be really good or really bad – with little wiggle room in between – One More Light is sure to be the talk of most musical circles this week for better or worse. It’s entirely possible that the members of Linkin Park resurrect their stagnant musical careers with this 180 degree departure, but it had better be damned good. Otherwise, it will be all too easy for them to plummet from stagnant to the laughingstock of…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of May 12, 2017. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors. As our staff post reviews of these albums, links will appear below the art work so that you can read about the release, see how we scored it, and more.
–Featured Release: Paramore: “After Laughter”–
Genre: Pop-Rock/Punk // Label: WEA/Fueled by Ramen
Background:
2013 saw what many claimed to be the demise of Paramore: their pop-leaning, self-titled fourth LP Paramore that was also the first to forego the presence of the Farro brothers. Even though the pair left on less-than-amicable terms back in 2010 following the release of Brand New Eyes, drummer Zac Farro has returned to reconcile the new trio consisting of Hayley Williams, Taylor York, and Zac Farro. The homecoming has sparked some optimism around the future of the band, despite the fact that they continue to push mainstream pop frontiers as their pop-punk roots fade even further into the rear view mirror. Like it or not, this is very much Hayley Williams’ band and regardless of the dismay that Paramore was met with among longtime fans, the record was a commercial success. They have no reason to alter their course for After Laughter; expect a solid pop-rock record (heavy on the pop) with a handful of earworm singles to bolster it on the radio. …
![Dead Cross [Explicit]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61MgcxD4QGL._SS500.jpg)
![Hysteria [3 CD][30th Anniversary Edition]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Lo1e5vzqL.jpg)
![One of Us [Explicit]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41G31dOeAGL._SS500.jpg)
![Lust For Life [Explicit]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51a3mjf6j2L._SS500.jpg)
![Times Infinity Volume Two [Explicit]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51X4L4k96iL._SS500.jpg)
![Nightmare Future [Explicit]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/612Qz-FyAyL._SS500.jpg)
![Agent Blue [Explicit]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51W-WBvh91L._SS500.jpg)
![Barrabus [Explicit]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41ywLrFDfoL._SS500.jpg)
…
![Last Young Renegade [Explicit]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/612F1RQte3L._SS500.jpg)
![Black Laden Crown [Explicit]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61ZiKzrISyL._SS500.jpg)
