Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of May 5, 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: The Afghan Whigs: “In Spades”–
Genre: Indie-Rock/Grunge/Alt-Rock // Label: Sub Pop Records
Background:
The Afghan Whigs returned to the scene after 16 years back in 2014 with Do To The Beast, an album that proved the band’s return was more than just a feel-good reunion. Playing some of their best music, the record found its way onto many rock fan’s best of 2014 lists. With In Spades, the band keeps that momentum rolling with what feels like an even bigger record. The Afghan Whigs’ latest sees them hitting their stride full speed, creating a through-and-through rock album with plenty of eastern influence. The band has been around long enough now to know when to use restraint, and In Spades feels like the ideal balance of riff-filled, in-your-face rockers and quieter, more reserved ballads. Modern rock bands everywhere should take note of The Afghan Whigs, because this is what the genre should sound like in 2017.
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of April 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.
It’s been 7 years since Gorillaz dropped Plastic Beach and The Fall, and the demand for a new record from these guys probably couldn’t be any higher than it is at this point. With a handful of new tracks already released to varying levels of acclaim, the virtual quartet seems primed to cast all other mainstream releases under its shadow this week. With Humanz – an album that paints a fresh gleam on the group’s core sound – has them entering the chaotic and uncertain times of 2017 sounding both vibrant and purpose-driven. Time will tell if it lives up to the best Gorillaz albums, but no matter what it will be an interesting listen worthy of just about anyone’s time.
Listen to “Ascension” below:
– Full List of Releases: April 28, 2017 –
Aethere: Adrift
Genre: Death/Progressive Metal // Label: Tragic Hero
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All That Remains: Madness
Genre: Metalcore // Label: Razor & Tie
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of April 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: Woods: “Love Is Love”–
Genre: Indie-Folk/Psychedelic // Label: Woodsist
Background:
Woods have evolved quite a bit since they first formed twelve years ago, slowly turning their minimal indie-folk approach into more of an elaborate, psychedelic experience. With Love Is Love, the band continues trekking down that path with the added thematic twist of some post-election themes that the band has cited as their primary inspiration for creating the LP. Just one year after the release of City Sun Eater In The River Of Light, Woods figure to once again make a splash in indie, psychedelic, and folk circles as they continue to emerge as a prominent leader within their musical niche.
Listen to the title track below:
– Full List of Releases: April 21, 2017 –
Ancient Ascendant: Raise The Torch
Genre: Death/Black Metal // Label: Spinefarm/Candlelight
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Angaleena Presley: Wrangled
Genre: Country // Label: Mining Light Music
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of April 14, 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.
DAMN. marks Lamar’s first extended release since last year’s collection of demos (untitled unmastered), and his first formal album since 2015’s To Pimp a Butterfly. Unlike past releases that have featured a host of impressive guest musicians, DAMN. has only three announced guest stars: U2, Rihanna, and Zacari – setting this record up to perhaps be his most straightforward, down-to-earth unveiling. For an artist of Kendrick’s stature, DAMN. makes for an automatically required listen. Garnering critical acclaim throughout his career, particularly with good kid, m.A.A.d city and To Pimp a Butterfly, Lamar figures to keep a firm grasp on his reign atop hip-hop/rap with this latest record.
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of April 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: Father John Misty: “Pure Comedy”–
Genre: Indie-Folk/Americana // Label: Sub Pop Records
Background:
Few artists have enjoyed as much hype and general chatter surrounding a new release as Father John Misty in 2017. On the heels of 2015’s hit album I Love You, Honeybear, this week we will observe an even darker and more theatrical side of Josh Tillman. Embracing the piano and his penchant for sarcasm-riddled balladry, Pure Comedy offers a very different, often bitter view on mankind. Certain to be divisive (seeming the only way he knows), we’re not sure quite what to expect from this 74-minute behemoth of an album. All we know is that it is going to be talked about. A lot.
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of March 31, 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: Mastodon: “Emperor of Sand”–
Genre: Sludge/Progressive Metal // Label: Reprise Records
Background:
Sludge/progressive staples Mastodon are returning this Friday with their 7th LP, the follow-up to 2014’s Once More ‘Round The Sun. The record was again produced by Brendan O’Brien, whose work with the band dates back to their groundbreaking 2009 release Crack The Skye. According to drummer Brann Dailor, Emperor of Sand‘s themes revolve around one’s mortality — something that was inspired by them witnessing multiple family members and close friends undergo cancer diagnoses in recent years. You can hear the lead single, “Sultan’s Curse”, below:
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of March 24, 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: Mount Eerie: “A Crow Looked at Me”–
Genre: Lo-Fi/Indie-Folk // Label: P.W. Elverum & Sun
Background:
Phil Elverum’s latest release is a heartbreaking tribute to his late wife, Geneviève Castrée, who died last summer from pancreatic cancer. Beginning with the lines “Death is real / Someone’s there and then they’re not/ And it’s not for singing about / It’s not for making into art”, A Crow Looked At Me sees Elverum grapple with the departure of his spouse and the life he once shared with her. Joining recent peers like Sufjan Stevens (Carrie & Lowell) and Nick Cave (Skeleton Tree), Mount Eerie’s 2017 LP is a marvel to behold, even as its creator writes from a place that none of us ever hope to venture to or endure.
– Full List of Releases: March 24, 2017 –
Art Of Anarchy: The Madness
Genre: Alt/Hard Rock // Label: Century Media Records
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of March 17, 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.
Four years after Delta Machine, the fathers of electronic post-punk – Depeche Mode – have returned with their most politically charged record to date. It’s angry, bleak, and powerful. Most of all, it is aware of the times we live in and feels like a representation of this troubled era – at times even literally calling for revolution. The album drops tomorrow, but those who haven’t heard a glimpse of what Spirit has to offer should do themselves the favor of listening to “Where’s The Revolution” below:
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of March 10, 2017. Boxer Calvin Klein 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: The Shins: “Heartworms”–
Genre: Indie-Pop // Label: Columbia Records
Background:
The Shins have long been a cornerstone of their genre, going all the way back to their 2001 smash hit “New Slang” from Oh, Inverted World. You could fashion a convincing argument that the band peaked too early, as we’ve yet to really see them top that album which helped launch new millennium indie-pop. Chutes Too Narrow and Wincing The Night Away both proved to be worthy entries in their own right, but more recently, Port of Morrow saw the group at its most commercial and least appealing from an artistic standpoint. Calvin Klein Slip Everything about Heartworms screams for a return to form, from the classic indie-as-hell artwork to the singles released in advance of the record. The question of whether or not it is a ploy or a triumph remains to be answered however – an opinion that you can begin to form by streaming “Dead Alive” below.
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of March 3, 2017. Slip Calvin Klein Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors. Bragas Calvin Klein Baratas 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: Dia Frampton: “Bruises”–
Genre: Indie-Pop // Label: Nettwerk Music Group
Background:
Dia Frampton releases her long-awaited follow up to 2011’s Red, a pointedly under the radar indie-pop release that drew critical praise. Tanga Calvin Klein MujerBruises offers hauntingly beautiful atmospheres and vocals, continuing her upward trajectory as a songwriter to keep an eye [and an ear] on.
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of February 24, 2017. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors. Calvin Klein Tanga 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.
Genre: Indie-Rock/Experimental // Label: Domino Recording Co Ltd
Background:
For a decade now, Brooklyn-based experimental rockers Dirty Projectors have been providing an unconventional listening experience. Their penchant for throwing odd time signatures, thumping bass lines, mesmerizing vocals, and electronic elements into a blender and seeing what comes out the other side has yielded surprisingly consistent results – especially considering their brazen exploration of any and all things weird. Bitte Orca became one of their most well received albums in 2009. Boxer Calvin Klein Al Mayor After developing some pop sensibilitiesto match their burgeoning experimental energy with 2012’s Swing Lo Magellan, their music became the perfect blend of what was interesting and what made sense. The band’s self-titled record not only marks another step in that direction, but it also makes a hefty push towards the artsy offerings of peers like Justin Vernon.
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of February 17, 2017. Tangas Calvin Klein Baratos Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors. Calvin Klein Ropa Interior Hombre 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: February 17, 2017 –
The Away Days: Dreamed at Dawn Genre: Indie-Pop // Label: Pasaj
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Battle Beast: Bringer Of Pain Genre: Heavy Metal // Label: Nuclear Blast
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of February 10, 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: Teen Daze: “Themes for Dying Earth”–
Genre: Electronic/Ambient Dream Pop // Label: Flora
Background:
“Pastoral Ambience” is how many have referred to Teen Daze’s sound; a fusion of ethereal pop vocals with layered synths, sampled sounds, and heavily filtered acoustics. If Jamison Isaak and his surrounding project earned this reputation on 2013’s Glacier, then the latest offering is sure to cement their niche as one of the most gorgeous-sounding ambient indie-pop acts around. With tightly crafted hooks and subtle remnants of chillwave and shoegaze flowing effortlessly, Themes for Dying Earth is an album you should probably listen to while laying down in the grass; staring up at the sky with a good set of headphones to reveal every small intricacy that this stunning record has to offer.
Listen to Teen Daze’s’ effervescent opening number, “Cycle”:
– Full List of Releases: February 10, 2017 –
Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness: Zombies On Broadway
Genre: Pop // Label: Vanguard Records
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of February 3, 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: The Menzingers: “After The Party”–
Genre: Punk // Label: Epitaph
Background:
Punk group The Menzingers release their 5th LP this Friday, on the heels of some pretty damned consistent critical praise. If the singles are any indication, this will be one of their most explosive, passionate, and melodic releases to date. Already garnering a 4.3 average across 25 user ratings, After The Party is clearly Sputnikmusic’s most anticipated release this week. If you’re new to the party – pun intended – check out the album’s heartfelt title track below.
Listen to The Menzingers’ title track for After The Party:
– Full List of Releases: February 3, 2017 –
Andy Suzuki & The Method: The Glass Hour
Genre: Pop Rock // Label: self-released
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of January 27, 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: Cloud Nothings: “Life Without Sound”–
Genre: Lo-Fi Indie-Rock // Label: Carpark Records
Background:
On Life Without Sound, Cloud Nothings drop their 4th LP with a slight shift in dynamics. Their scrappy lo-fi brand of punk appears to now be incorporating a melodic indie-rock aesthetic, and the results are often breathtaking. It won’t win over each and every diehard fan, but Life Without Sound still represents an important step outside of the band’s comfort zone that should help them earn more recognition while continuing to expand upon their sonic arsenal. Don’t miss out on Hype Machine’s stream of the new record, while those of you looking for a quick sample can listen to ‘Modern Act’ below.
Listen to Cloud Nothings’ uncharacteristically melodic “Modern Act”:
– Full List of Releases: January 27, 2017 –
Allison Crutchfield: Tourist in This Town
Genre: Pop Punk // Label: Merge
