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Pieces Of Me (CD)

Ledisi

It’s been a strange, happy ride for the soul singer Ledisi, who returns off her triumphant Grammy-nominated Turn Me Loose (2009) with a passionate, introspective album centered on the highs and lows of her swervy career. Pieces of Me is her fifth LP and arrives with the most hoopla of any previous recordings, and title track is an instant R&B classic with Ledisi’s signature jazz-inflected melisma, while the track “Coffee” contains as much libido as it does bluesy lyrical fire. In short, a decade into her recording career Ledisi is hitting her stride.More

All Things Bright And Beautiful (CD)

Owl City

The future is benign, and that’s the good vibes that synthpop phenom Owl City—i.e. poly-instrumentalist Adam Young—is throwing down. You remember his glinting, blippy, totally catchy megahit “Fireflies” from his major label debut, Ocean Eyes (2009)? Well, All Things Bright & Beautiful —as the title aptly suggests—multiplies the fuzziness by a dozen. Standout tracks from the MySpace success story are “Alligator Sky,” which shows a little bit of Owl City’s investigations into hip-hop construction, and “Deer in the Headlights,” which’ll hit the boy meets girl sweet tooth.More

Ukulele Songs (CD)

Eddie Vedder

The joke that Eddie Vedder ran with in promoting this album was that he was challenging himself to make the cheerful ukulele as depressed as he was. So the longtime Pearl Jam front man/quavering uncle of grunge sets about his task and sort of finds a middle ground of idiosyncratic Vedder in the smiling canon clutches of Israel Kamakawiwo’ole. If that seems surreal, it is. This is 16 juxtaposing covers (including Pearl Jam’s “Can’t Keep”) and originals that essentially boils down to Vedder and a ukulele, each impacting the other in the strangest, most glorifying ways. Star track: “Sleepless Nights,” which features the Swell Season’s Glen Hansard.More

Nick 13 (CD)

Nick 13

You strip the tatt’d-out psychobilly of Tiger Army’s music down to its essences, and you have country music—and that’s where vocalist/guitarist/primary songwriter Nick 13 buckles down on his self-titled solo debut. In the spirit of country pillars like Merle and Waylon, Nick 13 hones some pretty heavy stuff on the shuffling single “Carry My Body Down” and the rockabilly-hued “Gamblers Life.” Maybe it’s the transcendental meditation he does, but even the Tiger Army songs that he reimagines—“Cupid’s Victim” and “In The Orchard”—get closer to the heartbeat of America than most contemporary country dares.More

Jump Rope Gazers [Tangerine Colored Vinyl] (LP)

The Beths, The Beatles

New Zealand’s The Beths are back with a second album, tackling themes of anxiety and self-doubt with effervescent power pop choruses and rousing backup vocals. Jump Rope Gazers presents an upbeat, hook-filled indie sound stacked with girl-group style vocals, yet it also stares down all the hard parts of living in communion with other people. Jean-Paul Sartre may have said "Hell is other people," but to The Beths, the cathartic experience that can come from sharing stressful situations with your friends is a kind of heaven. More

Genre: Rock

Beyond The Pale (CD)

JARV IS...

This is the first original music from Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker since 2009. The "JARV IS" band was originally formed to play at the Sigur Ros "Norður og Niður" festival in Iceland in 2017. As they continued to play shows, they recorded their live sets so that they could monitor how the songs were developing, and eventually used these recordings as the basis for Beyond the Pale . Overdubs and vocals were later added at Narcissus Studios in Neasden, London. Cocker’s lyrics are as witty as ever, perhaps turbo-charged to meet current hard times, and the arrangements and hooks are just as strong as in the Pulp days, if not more inventive for hybridizing live with digital production. More

Genre: Rock

Flower Of Devotion (CD)

Dehd

Chicago-based indie rock trio Dehd’s Flower of Devotion ups the ante from the raucous garage sound and lyrical sparring of their 2019 debut, Water , with more polished and sometimes sunnier tunes. The attitude remains, but the results feel more well-rounded, seeing the band come into their own on their sophomore album. Singer/songwriter Emily Kempf sang about the necessity of love, compassion, and companionship on Water ; here she extols the virtues of being a loner while showing off her incredibly expressive range. Balla's guitar lines flirt from cosmic country to the dark sounds of Broadcast. It’s clear that Dehd is making meaningful markers on their way into the journey of the soul. More

Genre: Rock

Purple Noon (CD)

Washed Out

Washed Out, the Atlanta-based producer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Ernest Greene, delivers his most accessible creation to date with his fourth album, Purple Noon . With each release, Greene has approached his evolving project with meticulous detail and a steadfast vision. Greene wrote, recorded, and produced Purple Noon following a brief stint of writing for other artists (most notably Sudan Archives). His time writing for others enabled Greene to explore genres like R&B and modern pop. These brighter, more robust sounds made their way into the songs of Purple Noon and mark a new chapter for Greene. The vocals are front and center, tempos are slower, beats bolder…you can hear the luxuriousness of Sade, the sonic bombast of Phil Collins, and the lush atmosphere of the Balearic beat classics. Mediterranean coastlines inspired Purple Noon , and Greene pays tribute to the region’s distinct island culture using it as a backdrop to tell stories of passion, love, and loss. Purple Noon ’s title comes from the 1960 film based on the novel The Talented Mister Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, and much like romantic Hollywood epics, the melodrama throughout this album is strong. Purple Noon adds a layer of emotional intensity to the escapism of Washed Out’s oeuvre, taking the music to dazzling new heights. More

Genre: Rock

The Neon (CD)

Erasure

Erasure reunites for the momentous occasion of their 18th studio album, The Neon , which follows 2017’s World Be Gone . Like the glowing hot substance of the title, the music evokes an exciting and energetic mood. The Neon is a place that lives in the imagination. It’s a place of possibility bathed in warm light and this is music that takes you there. Vince and Andy pull inspiration from pop music through the decades, from bands they loved and want to share with a new generation. The Neon connects us to our pasts and our futures as it glistens with hope. More

Genre: Rock, Electronic-Dance

SUGAREGG (CD)

Bully

Bully’s third album sees frontwoman Alicia Bognanno reinventing her process with a newfound clarity of purpose, and, as a result, the sound immediately takes flight like My Bloody Valentine after three double espressos. A highly-accomplished engineer who ran the boards herself on the first two Bully albums, Bognanno frees herself of those duties to focus on the writing, and partners with the Grammy-winning John Congleton (St. Vincent, Sleater-Kinney, The War on Drugs, Modest Mouse, and more) at the famed Pachyderm Studios in Cannon Falls, Minnesota. An additional five months of writing and recording following that session completed Sugaregg , Bognanno’s most accomplished album to date. More

Genre: Rock

Elliott Smith [Expanded 25th Anniversary Edition] (CD)

Elliott Smith

Twenty-five years after Elliott Smith's self-titled second album was released to little fanfare by the press, this highly-influential work gets the attention it deserves from the good folks at the Kill Rock Stars label. Smith is a songwriter of great emotional depth whose influence on indie rock cannot be underestimated. This influence continues to expand and shape music years after his death, and this dark and beautiful album is considered his seminal work by many. The anniversary reissue includes many bells and whistles for fans, but the most thrilling detail for many will be the inclusion of the earliest known recording of Smith performing as a live solo act. The Smith family’s official archivist, producer and engineer Larry Crane, sorted through archive of reels, cassettes, DAT tapes, and digital files to locate the best sources for Smith’s first-generation mix downs. More

Genre: Rock

S&M2 (CD)

Metallica, San Francisco Symphony

In October of 2019, Metallica and The San Francisco Symphony teamed up once again, 20 years after the two legendary and seemingly dichotomous entities first collaborated on an epic set of concerts billed as Symphony and Metallica (S&M). S&M2 features 20 songs (that’s more than 2.5 hours of music) from the two-night event that blew the doors off of San Francisco’s Chase Center. There are many Metallica fan favorites here and two unique classical pieces chosen by San Francisco Symphony Musical Director Michael Tilson Thomas. S&M2 has been newly re-edited by the band with remixed and remastered audio. More

Genre: Rock

The Explorers Club (CD)

The Explorers Club

Nashville-based sunshine pop band The Explorers Club’s self-titled album is their fourth and full-length release and boldest work to date, breaking sonic barriers while maintaining lush melodies and multi-part vocal harmonies reminiscent of ‘60s and ‘70s groups like The Beach Boys, The Turtles, and The Association. More

Genre: Rock

WE ARE CHAOS (CD)

Marilyn Manson

Written and produced by Marilyn Manson and singer/songwriter/producer Shooter Jennings, WE ARE CHAOS is evocative of David Bowie’s work with Brian Eno; it feels like two artists decamped to unfamiliar surroundings to take chances in both musical style and subject matter. The collection of songs runs from macabre glam-rock to heavier extremes, cohering thematically as a post-modern concept album around explorations in self-reflection. Although the album cover is a self-portrait, MM has said that he intends the work to be a mirror for the listeners and that they should fill in their own story as they listen to it. Perhaps that’s what listeners do with every work, but there’s something compelling and impressionistic about the invitation to participate in a Do-It-Yourself concept album. Is this MM’s answer to Bowie’s Berlin Trilogy ( Low , "Heroes” and Lodger ) all in one 10 song album? If anyone could scale that mountain while deconstructing it, it’s MM. More

Genre: Rock

What Is There (CD)

Delta Spirit

The enduring California rock quintet Delta Spirit reconvene for What Is There , their fifth full-length album and first since 2014’s Into the Wide. The reunion is not only a return to their rich cinematic sound, but it’s also a move forward together into new musical territories – a journey of growth in ten tracks. More

Genre: Rock

Giver Taker (CD)

Anjimile

Written by Anjimile Chithambo in collaboration with Justine Bowe (Photocomfort) and New-York based artist/producer Gabe Goodman, Giver Taker , the gorgeous debut album by Anjimile, grapples with sobriety; reconciling trans identity, spirituality, and religious upbringing; and forging new futures that honor complex histories. Giver Taker spans evocative pastoral ballads, warm pop songs, and choral swells in a world where death and life are always entwined, wrapping around each other in a dance of reverence, reciprocity, and rebirth. More

Genre: Folk

Mephisto [1981] (BLU)

In classic Jayhawks fashion, the songs on XOXO mix the influence of American roots music with British invasion and jangly power-pop. There's also a newfound vitality at play, an invigoration of confidence and energy. The result is an album that, just like the band's lush harmonies, brings multiple distinctive voices together into a singular whole. This is a collection that finds unity in individuality and identity in reinvention. More

Stop Making Sense (BLU)

"The greatest concert movie of all time." - Rolling Stone Magazine "Talking Heads' wildly entertaining concert spectacular is among the greatest music films ever made." - Entertainment Weekly Directed by Academy Award Winner Jonathan Demme. Features audio commentary from David Byrne and Jonathan Demme. The film has been remastered from the original 35mm source, allowing the brilliance of the visuals to take full advantage of Blu-ray technology. More

The Beths & The Beatles

Metallica & San Francisco Symphony

Pieces Of Me (CD)

Ledisi

All Things Bright And Beautiful (CD)

Owl City

Ukulele Songs (CD)

Eddie Vedder

Nick 13 (CD)

Nick 13

The Beths, The Beatles

Metallica, San Francisco Symphony

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