Music Releases 05-19-23

Dave Matthews Band - Walk Around The Moon [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Clear LP]

Dave Matthews Band’s 10th studio album, Walk Around the Moon, took shape during the pandemic and is as much a reflection on the current times as it is an urge to find common ground. Walk Around the Moon will be released to coincide with the start of the band’s 2023 summer tour.  

Lewis Capaldi - Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition White LP]

On the heels of his latest single “Forget Me,” Lewis Capaldi returns with his sophomore album, Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent. It is the follow-up to his debut release, Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent. Indie Exclusive White 180-gram vinyl LP.

Def Leppard / Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - Drastic Symphonies [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Clear 2P]

Samantha Fish & Jesse Dayton - Death Wish Blues [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Clear w Black & Orange Swirls LP]

The first-ever collaborative album from Samantha Fish and Jesse Dayton, Death Wish Blues is a body of work born from a shared passion for pushing the limits of blues music. Produced by the legendary Jon Spencer of Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Death Wish Blues melds their eclectic sensibilities into a batch of songs both emotionally potent and wildly combustible and helps fulfill their shared longtime mission of opening up the blues genre to entirely new audiences.

The Milk Carton Kids - I Only See the Moon [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Maroon LP]

Completing their seventh studio album was a hard-won victory for The Milk Carton Kids, but I Only See the Moon was worth the effort for Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan. “It feels like returning to something that’s natural and comfortable, and also just as inspiring and new as when we first met,” says Pattengale, who formed The Milk Carton Kids with Ryan in 2011.

What started as a three-week recording session in the fall of 2021, with Pattengale producing the contemporary folk duo himself for the first time, stretched into a monthslong project that found the pair digging deeper into their craft than ever before. With a new studio of their own in Los Angeles and the realization that they were in no hurry, The Milk Carton Kids took the time they needed to be fully satisfied with I Only See the Moon.

“I haven’t been as happy with the collection of songs that we’ve put on record probably since our first record, and it’s because of a lot of the lessons we’ve learned over the years, including giving yourself time and space,” Ryan says.The three-time Grammy nominees sound refreshed on 10 new songs distilled to the essence of The Milk Carton Kids: two voices blended together in spellbinding harmony, accompanied by subtly perfect acoustic instrumentation. Turns out that’s a tough sound to get just right, but I Only See the Moon shows just how much Pattengale and Ryan were willing to work for it. 

Layng Martine Jr. - Music Man [Limited Edition Silver LP]

Limited silver colored vinyl LP pressing. 2022 release from the veteran country singer and songwriter.

'Weird Al' Yankovic - Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) [Hot Pink 2LP]

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story stars Daniel Radcliffe as “Weird Al" Yankovic in the unexaggerated true story about the greatest musician of all time. From an unconventional upbringing where playing the accordion was considered a sin, Al rebelled and made his dream of changing the words to world-renowned songs come true. An instant success and sex symbol, Al lived an excessive lifestyle and pursued an infamous romance that nearly destroyed him. The movie is available to stream via Roku, Fire TV or Samsung devices, or online on the Roku Channel.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (Original Soundtrack) features 46 tracks - a mix of newly-recorded classic Weird Al parodies, a new Weird Al original (“Now You Know”), various other artists’ tracks, and the film’s orchestral score by Leo Birenberg & Zach Robinson (the team behind the score for the Netflix blockbuster Cobra Kai) on two glorious hot pink LPs.



Wild Child - End of the World [Clear Green LP]

After more than a decade of non-stop touring, acclaimed Austin songwriting duo, Kelsey Wilson and Alexander Beggins, quietly stopped touring as Wild Child. Headed in different sonic directions, the pair didn't know if they would ever make another Wild Child record. Then, what felt like the "end of the world" brought them back together. Pandemic lockdowns closed stages and drained bank accounts. As artists from all backgrounds took their shows to the internet, Wild Child was no different. Wilson and Beggins got together to practice for a series of online performances for devout fans, and within 30 minutes they wrote the first single for what would accidentally become Wild Child's fifth album, End of the World.

Mixed by Matt Pence (Jason Isbell, Elle King) and including contributions from guitarist Charlie Wiles (Paul Cauthen, John Moreland, Orville Peck), End of The World sees the pair find catharsis in art amid compound disasters. As Wilson describes it, “I just started signing about things that were freaking me out. Wearing a mask for a year. Global warming. There's no heat, no water. It was like a dirge to begin with. But by the end we were all screaming and laughing that, yes, this might be the end of the world, but we're all together right now, making music in my living room by candlelight. It's all OK."

Josh Turner - Long Black Train [LP]

Multiplatinum-selling recording artist Josh Turner is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his hit album, Long Black Train, and the album’s lead single of the same name, which were both certified Platinum by the RIAA. On May 19, 2023, the album will be released on vinyl for the first time to coincide with the anniversary of the single’s original 2003 release date.

Mega Bog - End of Everything [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Neon Orange LP]

End of Everything is the intrepid 7th album from Mega Bog aka Erin Birgy. In 2020, living in Los Angeles, against the backdrop of horrifying forest fires, she questioned what to do in the face of such profound turmoil. Deciding to seize something tangible, Birgy explored a spectrum of new sounds to illuminate a state of volatility and flux both universal and personal. Heavy grooves, metal guitar squeals, Italo disco bass, fantasia synth layers, and huge choruses stomp around sanguine pop drama.

Robert Ellis - Yesterday's News [Random Color LP]

Robert Ellis is redefining himself with Yesterday's News- a record of unhurried meditations delivered by an artist learning to slow down and appreciate the tiny miracles that make life worth living. Hailed by NPR for his “musical daring and impeccable song craft,” and Rolling Stone for his “sharp eye for storytelling,” Ellis recorded Yesterday's News to tape in just two days, embracing a raw minimalism that prizes patience and restraint above all else: "close your eyes and drift into a dream."

Sir Chloe - I Am The Dog [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Milky Clear LP]

I Am The Dog, the debut album from Sir Chloe—the project of vocalist, songwriter and guitarist Dana Foote—is slated for release May 19 via Atlantic Records.

Made with Grammy-winning producer John Congleton (Lana Del Rey, St. Vincent, Angel Olsen) with songwriting contributions from Teddy Geiger (Caroline Polachek, Sylvan Esso, Lizzo) and Sarah Tudzin (Weyes Blood, Amen Dunes, Slowdive), I Am The Dog encapsulates the thrilling paradoxical nature of Sir Chloe. Thematically, the album grapples with finding control in the innate chaos of life, highlighting and interrogating this tension, only to destabilize it and opt for chaos once again. Anchored by Foote’s emotional and dynamic voice, the album toes the line between expression and concealment, making a fetish of the unsaid with lyrics that are simultaneously frank and ambiguous. With this constant push and pull propelling the album forward, Foote’s aim isn’t to be at rest but rather to ask why she cannot be.

Califone - villagers [Coke Bottle Clear LP]

Part experimental indie and part ‘70s soft rock, Califone’s first record in three years finds creative force Tim Rutili reaching new levels of harmony, fragility, and confidence. Whether detailing aging goths retaining their identity through year-long spooky decorations (“Halloween”), an imagined conversation with an inbred monarch (“Habsburg Jaw”), or the conflicts between identity and technology (“Ox-Eye”), Villagers’ nine tracks spread out and luxuriates in the messy darkness of modern life. Like sitting in awe on the porch swing at the end of the world, Califone’s latest marvels at the edge of the universe spreading into the darkness of infinity. With 25 years of Califone in his catalog (not to mention a variety of other projects, including alt rock heroes Red Red Meat), the Chicago-born, Los Angeles-based knows well how to find that moment of awe and bliss even as things are falling apart. Part poet, part abstract painter, and always surrounded by a variety of hyper-talented collaborators (here including longtime cohorts Ben Massarella, Michael Krassner, Rachel Blumberg, and Brian Deck, as well as the likes of Nora O'Connor and Finom's Macie Stewart), Rutili has always excelled at luring listeners through elusive lyrics, flashes of shadows and images coming together in disarming unity.

André Previn and His Pals Shelly Manne & Red Mitchell - West Side Story [Contemporary Records Acoustic Sounds Series] [LP]

Acoustic Sounds celebrates Contemporary Records with this new reissue of the West Side Story album by pianist André Previn, bassist Red Mitchell and drummer Shelly Manne. Originally released in 1960, the album contains 8 cuts from the musical soundtrack reinterpreted in a jazz style. Recorded by legendary engineer Roy DuNann this edition is pressed on 180-gram vinyl pressed at QRP with (AAA) lacquers cut from the original tapes by Bernie Grundman and is presented in a tip-on jacket.

Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives - Altitude [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Transluscent Blue LP]

Indie Exclusive Transluscent Blue. Country Music Hall of Famer, five-time Grammy-winner, and AMA Lifetime Achievement honoree Marty Stuart picks up where he left off on Altitude, his first new album in five years, exploring a cosmic country landscape populated by dreamers and drifters, misfits and angels, honky-tonk heroes and lonesome lovers. There's a desert flare to the music here, a sweeping, spacious feel that conjures up wide-open horizons and endless stretches of two-lane highway, and the production is raw and cinematic to match, tipping it's cap both to Bakersfield and Laurel Canyon as it balances jangle and twang in equal measure. While it would be easy for an artist as accomplished as Stuart to rest on his laurels, Altitude instead showcases the work of a searcher with an insatiable appetite for growth and reflection, one whose ambition, much like his keen wit and rich imagination, only seems to grow with each and every release. Born and raised in Philadelphia, MS, Stuart got his start in bluegrass legend Lester Flatts' band at the tender age of thirteen, and by twenty-one, he was working in the studio and on the road with Johnny Cash. Though Stuart built his early reputation backing up royalty, it wasn't long before Nashville recognized him as a star in his own right, and over the course of forty-plus years as a solo artist, he would go on to release more than twenty major label albums, scoring platinum sales, hit singles, and just about every honor the industry can bestow along the way.

Pernice Brothers - Overcome By Happiness: 25th Anniversary Edition [Orange and White Splatter 2LP]

“You don’t want your stuff to vanish,” says Joe Perniceabout the twenty-fifth anniversary reissue of Overcome By Happiness. “Not that I’m looking to get famous, but you need to connect with the world. There’s something that reaffirms your own life in that echo that comes back to you—even if it’s your own voice coming back.

The story of Overcome By Happinessis one of great risk and greater payoff. It’s the story of a disgruntled country singer struggling to define himself against prevailing musical trends. It’s the story of a songwriter just finding his voice, an artist so desperate to express himself that he scrapped one band to form another, risking his record contract and arguably his career to put the sounds he heard in his head onto tape. It’s the story of a musician embracing the sounds of his childhood: AM easy listening, sophisticated chamber pop, baroque lounge music, Bread, the Carpenters, Bacharach, Manilow. It’s the story of a poet driving through Massachusetts in a rusted-out Bonneville with a wooden bumper.

This time has come for this story to be told on vinyl. Released 25 years later to the day, New West Records is proud to present the remastered 25th anniversary edition of Overcome By Happinesson vinyl. This release features two orange and white splatter LPs held by thumb notch sleeves inside of a hardback book gatefold. The album audio also includes a 13 Track Bonus LP featuring 8 Previously Unreleased Demo Recordings The package features a 52-page book showcasing extensive liner notes, printed lyrics, forward and track by track written by Joe Pernice as well as previously unseen photographs. Each copy comes with a 5x7 autographed print.

The Lemonheads - Come on Feel: 30th Anniversary [Limited Deluxe Edition Bookback 2LP]

Expanded 30th anniversary re-issue of The Lemonheads’ classic 1993 album. The breakthrough record that took American alt rock global and catapulted Evan Dando into the hearts of a generation. With a wealth of unreleased demos, alternative versions and rarities - including covers of Victoria Williams, Buddy Holly and The Flying Burrito Brothers plus the Cole Porter standard ‘Miss Otis Regrets’.

In the 90’s Evan’s Lemonheads produced hit after a hit, a string of super cool singles: ‘Big Gay Heart’, ‘Into Your Arms’, ‘It’s About Time’, and ‘The Great Big NO’. Pure genius filling the radio waves and taking the stage... Some 30 years on; Evan is still knocking that song writing thing out of the park and ‘Come On Feel The Lemonheads’ sounds as fresh and perky as it ever did. Amid the hits on the original record are stencils and outlines for yet more magical music and now this deluxe edition adds a second disc of demos and acoustic versions, plus a host of one-offs from sessions and compilations that add further colour to the myth and how it was created.

There’s the cover of Victoria Williams’ ‘Frying Pan’ from her ‘Sweet Relief’ album, which is joined by an eclectic set of flipsides and out-takes, like their version of ‘Little Black Egg’ by The Nightcrawlers, Evan’s homage to Gram Parsons on the winsome ‘Streets Of Baltimore’ and Buddy Holly’s melancholy ‘Learning The Game’. Evan knows a good song when he hears it, as ‘Come On Feel The Lemonheads’ certainly proved.

“Come On Feel was home to some of his best, sharpest writing – fabulous sunny powerpop and beautiful ballads” The Guardian

The Front Bottoms - Talon of the Hawk: 10 Year Anniversary Edition [Turquoise Blue LP]

It’s hard to believe it’s the 10-year anniversary of The Front Bottoms second break out studio album Talon of the Hawk. Powered by Brian Sella’s confessional vocal style, the al-bum mixes acoustic guitar with big beat drumming from Mat Uychich. With it’s hook-laden pop charm it proved to be an album that unlocked all the inner chambers of the teen-age heart. It includes their most popular song “Twin Sized Mattress” (128 million streams on Spotify alone). Talon of the Hawk solidified the Front Bottoms as a band who could reach out to a whole new generation of rock enthusiasts.

Yes - Mirror To The Sky [2LP/2CD/Blu-ray Box Set]

“This is a very important album for the band,” says Steve Howe, Yes’ longest serving member, master guitarist, and producer of Mirror to the Sky, the bands 23rd studio album. “We kept the continuity in the approach we established on The Quest, but we haven’t repeated ourselves. That was the main thing. As Yes did in the seventies from one album to another, we’re growing and moving forward. In later years, Yes often got going but then didn’t do the next thing. This album is demonstrative of us growing, and building again.” For Yes, that “next thing” is a collection of high energy, intricate, lush and layered new studio songs for an album which adds to the band’s much heralded legacy, while charting a path to exciting future times ahead. 

El Dorodo - Unincorporated [LP]

A lot can be said about El Dorodo that hasn’t been said before. We can talk about their beginnings, their roots, their lineage and their heritage, but that does not even begin to scratch the surface that is the iceberg of El Dorodo. Before the age of woefully crafted template songs that littered radio all across America, there was an age of radio and song craft that spoke to everyone on a common level. These words tell stories — stories of heartache, stories of past good times…but mostly heartache. A universal understanding of the human emotion coupled with every great sound that music has to offer, all in one place. El Dorodo is all of these things and all of these things are Country music. El Dorodo appreciates, respects and loves all types of “good” music. You may hear aspects of these different genres represented in our music. We are fans first. Our hearts lie in Country/Western/Old Time music and culture. We represent true, honest Country music to be consumed by the masses and we do so with full hearts. Our aim is to get back to the basics of love…El Dorodo is country music.

Tinariwen - Amatssou [Limited Edition White LP]

"Some people have commented that Tinariwen have always been a country band, albeit a North African take on that most North American of genres. That idea is magnified on new album Amatssou, which finds the Tuareg band’s trademark snaking guitar lines and hypnotic rhythms blending seamlessly with pedal steel, piano and strings from guest musicians including Daniel Lanois, the embellished arrangements lending the songs an epic, universal application.

Full of poetic allegory, the lyrics call for unity and freedom. There are songs of struggle and resistance with oblique references to the recent desperate political upheavals in Mali and the increasing power of the Salafists. “Dear brothers all rest, all leisure will always be far from reach unless your homeland is liberated and all the elders can live there in dignity,” Ibrahim Ag Alhabib sings on ‘Arajghiyine.’ The album’s title Amatssou is Tamashek for ‘Beyond The Fear’ and it fits - Tinariwen have always been characterised by their fearlessness - and as Bob Dylan once said, the power of rock’n’roll is that it makes us “oblivious to the fear” as the music gives us the strength and resilience to confront adversity.

In the two decades since Tinariwen emerged from their base in the African desert to tour the globe, they have got to know many renowned country, folk, and rock musicians from the USA including Kurt Vile, Stephen O'Malley, Jack White, and Wilco. Tuareg nomads and cowboy drifters. Camel trains and mustang horses. The timeless horizon of the endless Sahara and the wild frontier of the Old West - several thousand miles of ocean may divide the desert blues of Tinariwen and the authentic country music of rural America but the links are as palpable as they are romantic."

The Ironsides - Changing Light [Transparent Blue W/ Black Swirl LP]

The Ironsides have arrived. Changing Light is the first full-length effort from this group of Bay Area musicians. It melds classic psych-soul sounds with sweeping orchestral arrangements -- reminiscent of a cinematic soundtrack from a 60s European film. 

Lary 7 - Larynx [2LP]

Recorded in Lary 7’s legendary apartment studio Plastikville over nearly a decade, Larynx is the first full-length retrospective of the East Village icon’s hybrid music and engineering practice. The record mobilizes 7’s array of homemade instruments, which he ‘frankensteins’ together from offcast and outmoded bits of technology. An ode to the long-lost Canal Street junk shops he frequented in the1970s and ’80s, Larynx brings together numerous thrift finds and sonic inventions used in his theatrical performances and installations.

The Murlocs - Calm Ya Farm: Bible Basher Edition [Bone & Olive Green LP]

The Murlocs had visions of creating a quintessential country-rock record when they begin recording their 7th LP - a collection of sublimely mellowed-out songs inspired by iconic albums like "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" and "Exile on Main St" - but the record soon took on its own unruly character. Spiked with The Murlocs’ signature breed of sharply crafted garage-punk "Calm Ya Farm" twists country-rock convention into a free-flowing album fully in touch with the frenetic energy of modern life.