New Release Round-Up 08-14-20

Biffy Clyro - A Celebration Of Endings - Warner Records
A Celebration Of Endings is the ninth studio album by Scottish alternative rock band Biffy Clyro. It was produced by Rich Costey. The band has spent 160 weeks in the top 75 of the UK Album Charts, with two of those weeks being at the top position at #1 and 72 weeks within the main top 40 of the albums charts. The band's singles have spent a total of 79 weeks in the UK Singles Charts, with six weeks in the Top 10 and forty-two in the Top 40.

Mac Miller - K.I.D.S. - Rostrum Records
The first-ever physical release of Mac Miller's seminal mixtape K.I.D.S., is available in celebration of it's' 10-Year Anniversary. Double LP with three sides of music and one silkscreen side.

King Buzzo - Gift Of Sacrifice - Ipecac Recordings
The Melvins’ King Buzzo has a new solo acoustic record called Gift Of Sacrifice. This is exciting news! What makes this news even more exciting is that King Buzzo has recorded this record with the fabulously talented bass player Trevor Dunn. Trevor was a founding member of Mr. Bungle and also plays bass in the psycho metal/spaghetti western band Fantômas, as well as recording and touring with the Melvins (as Melvins Lite). The addition of Trevor’s stand-up bass makes Gift of Sacrifice a step up from King Buzzo’s last acoustic record, This Machine Kills Artists. It gives this new record a haunted quality which drives the songs to a new level. Another new element is the addition of modular synth, which adds its own angular sounds to the acoustic guitar and bass. This is an odd combination of sounds not heard before on an all acoustic record. 

Bruce Hornsby - Non-Secure Connection - Zappo Productions
Bruce Hornsby is on a roll. After taking the music world by surprise with his wide-ranging, critically acclaimed 2019 album Absolute Zero, the singer, songwriter, composer and bandleader returns with a follow-up that picks up where its predecessor left off. Non-Secure Connection features 10 new songs exploring a broad range of themes, from civil rights to computer hackers, mall salesmen to the tribulations of youth basketball. Hornsby plays piano, of course, but the songs on Non-Secure Connection also feature Hornsby’s electric sitar and Chamberlin, along with guitars, horns, strings and subtle samples from sources as varied as minimalist composer John Cage and Scottish rockers Franz Ferdinand. Like Absolute Zero, Non-Secure Connection also features a wealth of collaborators: singer James Mercer of The Shins and Broken Bells, singer and poet Jamila Woods, Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid, Bon Iver leader Justin Vernon and the late Leon Russell, who appears thanks to a demo that he and Hornsby recorded together more than 25 years ago.

   

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ALSO OUT THIS WEEK

James Dean Bradfield - Even In Exile
State Champs - Unplugged EP
Evann McIntosh - MOJO
Bassnectar - All Colors
Young Jesus - Welcome To Conceptual Beach
Kathleen Edwards - Total Freedom
Whitney - Candid
Fantastic Negrito - Have You Lost Your Mind Yet
Caylee Hammack - If It Wasn't For You
Arlo McKinley - Die Midwestern
Twisted Pine - Right Now
Spoon - Girls Can Tell
Mo Pitney - Ain't Looking Back
Tanya Donelly & The Parkington Sisters - Tanya Donelly & The Parkington Sisters
Eric Hilton - Infinite Everywhere
Britney Spears - Oops I Did It Again (20th Anniversary Edition) [Picture Disc LP]


& More .....

UPCOMING RELEASES

Alex the Astronaut - The Theory of Absolutely Nothing - Nettwerk Records
With her heart-swelling, folk-inflected pop, music's bright-eyed anthropologist, Alex the Astronaut, uses sprawling narratives and rich vignettes to unravel the joys and struggles of everyday life on her debut album. Brough to life with infectious melodies, plucked guitar, and Alex's unmistakable vocals. The Theory of Absolutely Nothing is the work of a storyteller attuned to the world around her.

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Naked Giants - The Shadow - New West Records
The Shadow is an album of growth. In the years since our previous album SLUFF was recorded, we have toured around the world, honed our musical skills and found our own little place in the music industry - but we have also seen our share of shadows, and it is through acknowledging these shadows that we grow the most. Each song on The Shadow examines an aspect of this growth through a different musical lens, adding up to a series of rock-and-roll vignettes of light, shadow, anxiety and responsibility. Frantic punk-scenes of information overload are contrasted by patient drones of introspection; fun, ear-worm musings of life as a young rock band are juxtaposed with the heavier responsibility of having a voice and not quite knowing what to say. The amalgam of information in the songs is complemented with a blend of sonic perspectives - we threw in all our influences, from the usual suspects of punk rock and new wave to spacedout 80’s balladry, fuzzy garage-metal and psychedelic desert folk (with synths and tape loops added to taste). And with producer Chris Funk leading the way, our somewhat scatterbrained sprawl of musical and conceptual ideas are tied together in an artful way. Chris’ quiet but steady direction pushed us to serve the songs, reigning in the guitar pedal breaks and drum solo freakouts from our live set while leaving just enough unpredictability and experimentation to give the album a liveliness of its own.

   

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Josh Turner - Country State Of Mind - MCA Nashville
Josh Turner returns with his new studio album, Country State Of Mind. The 12-track record highlights some of Turner’s favorite Country Classics, and features guest appearances from John Anderson, Kris Kristofferson, Chris Janson, Runaway June, Maddie & Tae, and the legendary Randy Travis. CD packaging includes a bonus “Country State Of Mind” decal sticker.

   

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Bebel Gilberto - Agora - PIAS America
World renowned and multi-Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Bebel Gilberto has been enchanting fans and critics worldwide since her solo debut release in 1986. She catapulted onto the global music scene in 1996 when she featured on the celebrated compilation RED HOT + RIO. She followed up with her breakout album, Tanto Tempo, positioning herself as one of the top-selling Brazilian artists since the 1960's. She continued with a streak of critically-acclaimed albums on which she refined her sound and showcased her strengths as a composer. Her new album, Agora, which translates to now, chronicles the moment in time in Bebel's life after a period of great change. It was produced by Thomas Bartlett (Sufjan Stevans, St. Vincent, Father John Misty, David Byrne, Martha Wainwright).

   

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For more information on these and other releases out this week, check out our New Releases charts by week section.

Rick Wakeman - Indie Retail

On August 28th, Rick Wakeman returns with his new album The Red Planet and he has a very special message about supporting Indie Record Stores.  Pre-Order your copy now on 2LP or CD