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!)
…

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)

——————————————————————————–

Album Streams:

The Darkness – Hot Cakes

JJ DOOM – Key To The Kuffs

Lynyrd Skynyrd -Last Of A Dyin’ Breed

Project 86 – Wait For The Siren

Swans  – The Seer

——————————————————————————–

SputnikMusic’s Most Played Artists of the Week (according to Last.FM):

Staff :

01) Gaza
02) Explosions In…

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…

Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of August 07, 2012. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.

10 Years – Minus The Machine (Pale Horse Records)
The American Scene – Safe For Now (Pure Noise)
Antibalas – Antibalas (Daptone)
Antony and the Johnsons – Cut The World (Secretly Canadian)
Bilocate – Summoning The Bygones (Aural Music)
Certain People I Know – Certain People I Know (Count Your Lucky Stars)
Colt Ford – Declaration Of Independence (Average Joe’s Entertainment)
David Archuleta – Begin. (Highway Records)
Digital Summer – Breaking Point (Victim Entertainment)
Fergus & Geronimo – Funk Was The State Of Affairs (Hardly Art)
Gatherer – Postcards (Glass Nail)
Janka Nabay and the Bubu Gang – En Yay Sah (Luaka Bop)
Lianne La Havas – Is Your Love Big Enough? (Nonesmuch)
Mala – Cuba Electronic/Calle F (Brownswood Recordings)
Niki & The Dove – Instinct (Sub Pop)
Redd Kross – Researching The Blues (Merge Records)
Reverend Peyton’s Big Damm Band – Between The Ditches (Side One Dummy)
Rob Zombie – Mondo Sex Head (Geffen Records)
Sixpence None The Richer – Lost In Transition (Sixpence)
The Snips – Highs Of Low (Rival Party Records)
So Many Wizards – Warm Nothing (Frenchkiss)
Stagnant Pools – Temporary Room (Polyvinyl)
Sweetheart – XOXOX (Porterhouse)
Sweet Valley – Stay Calm (Fool’s Gold Records)
Thelem & Killawatt – Dualism/Saturn’s Colour (Osiris Music)
Tidelands – We’ve Got A Map (Redgummy Records)
Turbonegro –…

Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of July 24, 2012. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.

Ancients – Star Showers on the Euphrates (PID)
The Antlers – Undersea (ANTI Records) – SowingSeason
Blood Red Shoes – In Time To Voices (Cooperative Music)
Blu & Exile – Maybe One Day [EP] (Dirty Science/Fat Beats)
Constants – Pasiflora (The  Mylene Sheath)
Cooly G – Playin Time (Hyperdub)
Damu The Fudgemunk – Redef Remixes (Redefinition Records)
Dark Time Sunshine – ANX (Fake Four Inc.) – Sobhi Youssef
The Dirty Panties – I Am A Robot (SquidHat Records)
Distance – A Result Of Sound/Deserted (Chestplate)
DjRum – Watermark/The Darkest Hour Is Just Before Dawn (2nd Drop Records)
Eternal Summers – Correct Behavior (Kanine Records)
Family Band – Grace & Lies (No Quarter)
Fang Island – Major (Sargent House)
Foals – Tapes (!K7)
Forever Came Calling – Contender (Pure Noise Ent.)
The Full Steam – Yours Truly (The Full Steam)
The Gaslight Anthem – Handwritten (Mercury) – Adam Knott
GZA – Liquid Swords: The Chess Box Set (Get On Down)
Jack Sparrow – Afraid Of Me (Deep Medi)
Jennifer Lopez – Dance Again: The Hits (Epic) – Irving Tan Zhi Mian
Laetitia Sadier – Silencio (Drag City)
Lawrence Arabia – The Sparrow (Bella Union)
Love And Theft – Love And Theft (Sony Nashville/RCA)
Micachu & the Shapes – Never (Rough…

Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of July 17, 2012. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.

Alberta Cross – Songs of Patience (Ato Records)
Angus Stone – Broken Brights (Nettwerk Records)
Baroness – Yellow & Green (Relapse) – Eli Kleman
The Be Good Tanyas – A Collection (2000-2012) (Nettwerk Records)
Believe You Me – Up From Here [EP] (Believe You Me)
Belle Histoire – Dreamers (Invogue Records)
Bermuda – The Wandering (Mediaskare)
Boys Like Girls – Crazy World [EP] (Columbia)
Bury Tomorrow – The Union Of Crowns (Nuclear Blast America)
Capital Lights – Rhythm N Moves (Tooth & Nail)
Chasing Morgan – Battlescars [EP] (Chasing Morgan)
Citizen Cope – One Lovely Day (Rainwater Recordings)
The Contortionist – Intrinsic (Entertainment One Music)
Conveyor – Conveyor (papergardenrecords)
Cosmo Jarvis – Think Bigger (The End Records)
The Drowning Men – All Of The Unknown (Borstal Beat Records)
Elton vs Pnau – Good Morning To The Night (Casablanca)
Enabler – All Hail The Void (Southern Lord Records/Halo Of Flies)
Exotic Animal Petting Zoo – Tree Of Tongues (Mediaskare)
The Farm Inc. – The Farm Inc. (Warner Bros.)
The Fixx – Beautiful Friction (Kirtland Records)
For The Fallen Dreams – Wasted Youth (Red Int/Red Ink)
Frank Ocean – Channel Orange (Def Jam) – Sobhi Youssef
Gatekeeper – Exo (Hippos In Tanks)
Hans Zimmer – The Dark Knight Rises: Original Motion Picture…

We are also still accepting applications for anyone interested in becoming a Contributing Reviewer for this site. To submit your applications (and to read the submission guidelines), head here.

Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of July 10, 2012. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.

Aesop Rock – Skelethon (Rhymesayers)
Alaska/Oranges – The Summer I Joined The Harlem Globetrotters [Split/EP] (Yespleaserecords)
Beak> – >>  (Invada)
Brendan James – Hope In Transition (Rock Ridge Music)
Bury Tomorrow – The Union Of Crowns (Nuclear Blast America)
Clare and the Reasons – KR-51 (Frog Stand Records)
Communist Daughter – Lions & Lamb [EP] (Grain Belt Records)
Dan Le Sac – Space Between The Words (Sunday Best)
Delicate Steve – Positive Force (Luaka Bop)
Dirty Projectors – Swing Lo Magellan (Domino) – SowingSeason
Duran Duran – A Diamond in the Mind [DVD] (Eagle Rock Entertainment)
The Early November – In Currents (Rise Records)
Eleni Mandell – I Can See the Future (Yep Roc Records)
Erika Forster – Erika Forster [EP] (Cascine)
Erika Spring – Erika Spring [EP](Cascine)
Glass Cloud – The Royal Thousand (Equal Vision Records)
Glocca Morra – Just Married (Kind Of Like Records)
The Grates – Secret Rituals (AIS)
Hank Williams Jr. – Old School… New Rules (Warner Bros.)
Holograms – Holograms (Captured Tracks)
House Of Heroes – Cold Hard Want (Gotee Records) – DaveyBoy
House Vs Hurricane – Crooked Teeth…

We are now down to our final week for the Sputnikmusic Linkin Park contest. One lucky winner will receive a CD copy of LIVING THINGS signed by the band, a pair of Rob Bourdon signature Vater drumsticks, a Linkin Park t-shirt and band stickers & buttons! Also included is a one year membership to the official Linkin Park fan club:  LP Underground. Members receive early entrance to Linkin Park shows, chances for Meet & Greets, access to concert pre-sale tickets and best seats, exclusive music, live video chats with band members and much more. So, go here for more details.

We are also still accepting applications for anyone interested in becoming a Contributing Reviewer for this site. To submit your applications (and to read the submission guidelines), head here.

Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of July 03, 2012. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.

Abandon All Ships – Infamous (Rise Records)
Asia – XXX (Frontier Records)
The Blasters – Fun On Saturday Night (Rip Cat Records)
The Cheats – Pussyfootin! (Dismanic Distribution)
Chris Brown – Fortune (RCA)
Chrome Waves – Chrome Waves (Gravedancer Records)
Cicso Adler – Aloha (Bananabeat Records)
Delain – We Are The Others (Sensory Records)
Drop The Lime – Enter The Night (Ultra Records)
Easter Island – Frightened (Easter Island)
The Envy – Deception (Simmons Records)
Flo Rida – Wild Ones (Atlantic)
Foxes – Warrior (Sony Music)
Gideon – Milestone (Facedown Records)
Gold…

Sputnikmusic is currently holding a Linkin Park contest. One lucky winner will receive a CD copy of LIVING THINGS signed by the band, a pair of Rob Bourdon signature Vater drumsticks, a Linkin Park t-shirt and band stickers & buttons! Also included is a one year membership to the official Linkin Park fan club:  LP Underground. Members receive early entrance to Linkin Park shows, chances for Meet & Greets, access to concert pre-sale tickets and best seats, exclusive music, live video chats with band members and much more. So, go here for more details.

We are also still accepting applications for anyone interested in becoming a Contributing Reviewer for this site. To submit your applications (and to read the submission guidelines), head here.

Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of June 19, 2012. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.

Ashanti – Braveheart (Entertainment One Music)
Beat Connection – The Palace Garden (Moshi Moshi/Tender Age)
Blood On The Dance Floor – Evolution (Dark Fantasy Records)
Broadway – Gentlemen’s Brawl (Uprising Records)
Can – The Lost Tapes (Mute)
Chantal Claret – The One, The Only (The End Records)
Chelsea Grin – Evolve (Razor & Tie/RSM)
Christian Loffler – A Forest (Ki Records)
Delta Rae – Carry the Fire (Sire / Wea)
Del the Funky Homosapien and Parallel Thought – Attractive Sin (Parallel Thought Ltd)
Devin Townsend – By A Thread: Live In London 2011 [CD/DVD] (Inside Out – EMI)
…

The last time the site received a major upgrade was in January, when we updated our server architecture. Although there have been a few bumps along the way, overall the change has resulted in increased speed and stability for Sputnikmusic.

This summer, I plan on fixing several persistent bugs and will implement 1-2 ‘major’ changes to the site. I have a provisional list of modifications I’m considering (enhanced genre system, improved news, revised message boards, enhancements to lists, revision of user profiles, design changes), but I wanted to give everyone the chance to provide their feedback on what they think the most valuable addition to the site would be before I start the process. Looking forward to reading your comments below!