2014 NEW RELEASES WEEK #16 APRIL 15, 2014

APRIL 15 (WEEK # 16)

1.    THE AFGHAN WHIGS-“DO TO THE BEAST” (4/15) 

2.    BOBBY BARE JR-“UNDEFEATED” (4/15)

3.    THE BEVIS FROND-“HIGH IN A FLAT” (COMPILATION OF TRACKS: HIGHLIGHTS 1987-1991) (4/15) 

4.    BOOTSTRAPS-“BOOTSTRAPS” (4/15) 

5.    THE BOTH (AIMEE MANN AND TED LEO)-“THE BOTH” (4/15) 

6.    THE CHOIR-“SHADOW WEAVER” (4/15) 

7.    CLOUD CULT-“UNPLUG” (LIVE) (4/15) 

8.    THE CROOKES-“SOAPBOX” (4/15)

9.    RODNEY CROWELL-“TARPAPER SKY” (4/15) 

10. GORD DOWNIE, THE SADIES & THE CONQUERING SUN-“S/T” (4/15) (While Gord Downie has managed to attract an arena-level audience in his native Canada (and a few markets in the United States) for his work with the Tragically Hip, it's always been obvious that he's wanted to do more adventurous work outside the confines of the band, and if he was going to pick another Canadian act to collaborate with, he could scarcely have done better than the Sadies. the Sadies have a body of work that testifies to their eclectic spirit and deep instrumental skills, and they put these gifts to good work on Gord Downie, The Sadies, And the Conquering Sun, a set of ten tunes he recorded with the group. The group's echoey atmospherics are used to their best advantage on songs like "Los Angeles Times," "Saved," and the title cut, but the Sadies also rock harder here than they have in recent years, letting loose with some six-string firepower on "Crater," "It Didn't Start to Break My Heart Until This Afternoon," and "Demand Destruction," with Travis and Dallas Good making their guitars roar and howl, while bassist Sean Dean and drummer Mike Belitsky keep the backbeat lean, hot, and satisfying. With the Sadies providing top-shelf backing, Downie is free to go into rant mode on his lyrics, and while he reveals he can sound insightful and literate when he's of a mind (particularly on "Devil Enough" and "Saved"), he clearly relishes the chance to go on a beatnik lyrical bender on some of these tunes, and "Budget Shoes," "I'm Free, Disarray Me" and "One Good Fast Job" prove he's pretty good with such stuff, sounding a bit further out than on the average Tragically Hip session but maintaining an emotional clarity even when the lyrics tend not to scan quite so well in the literal sense. While both Downie and the Sadies both have plenty on their plates, And the Conquering Sun suggests they work well together and should take another stab at this some day. Review by Mark Deming)

11. ITAL TEK-“MEGA CITY INDUSTRY” (4/7) 

12. JAPANTHER-“INSTANT MONEY MAGIC” (4/15)

13. MICA LEVI-“UNDER THE SKIN” (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK) (4/15)  Based on the novel by Michael Faber, Jonathan Glazer's new film follows the journey of a voluptuous woman (Scarlett Johansson) of unknown origin combing the highway in search of isolated or forsaken men. They are seduced, stripped of their humanity, and never heard from again. The music, which plays a critical role in the film and has been mentioned numerous times in reviews, is by British-born Mica Levi, known by her stage name Micachu. She is classically trained and is best known for her band Micachu & The Shapes and for experimental music in a variety of genres.

14. THE LIBRARY IS ON FIRE-“HALCYON & SURROUNDING AREAS” (4/15)

15. JESSICA LEA MAYFIELD-“MAKE MY HEAD SING…” (4/15)

16. RON MORELLI-“PERISCOPE BLUES” (4/15) 

17. OPERA MORT-“DEDALES” (4/15) 

18. ORCAS-“YEARLING” (4/15) (For Yearling, Orcas members Benoît Pioulard and Rafael Anton Irisarri (The Sight Below) teamed up with Martyn Heyne (of Efterklang) on guitar and piano, and Michael Lerner (Telekinesis) on drums, to build upon the subdued ambience of their self-titled debut, adding a huge dose of analog warmth to their hazy pop leanings.)

19. THE SECRET SISTERS-“PUT YOUR NEEDLE DOWN” (4/15) 

20. DYLAN SHEARER-“GARAGEARRAY” (4/15) (2014 release, the third album from the San Francisco-based singer/songwriter. On Garagearray, the lauded Bay Area artist is joined by Thee Oh Sees Petey Dammit on bass and Comets On Fire's Noel von Harmonson on drums with production from Eric Bauer. These elements of support provides a lush canvas, where Dylan leads us to the valleys and meadows of memories and profound reflection. Superlatives and flowery language falls short to convey the standard foundations from Dylan Shearer's approaches to the storied schools and methods of songwriting.)

21. SLINT-“SPIDERLAND” (DELUXE EDITION BOX SET REISSUED) (4/15)

22. WOODS-“WITH LIGHT & WITH LOVE” (4/15)