NEW RELEASES 2015 WEEK # 25 JUNE 23, 2015

JUNE 23, 2015 (WEEK # 25)

1.    THE ACORN-“VIEUX LOUP” (6/23) 

2.    ALCOHOLIC FAITH MISSION-“ORBITOR” (6/24) 

3.    ALPINE-“YUCK” (6/23)

4.    AM & SHAWN LEE-“OUTLINES” (6/23)

5.    MEG BAIRD-“DON’T WEIGH DOWN THE LIGHT” (6/23) (2015 solo release from the San Francisco-based singer/songwriter best known for her work with Espers. Don't Weigh Down the Light is her first album since 2011's Seasons On Earth, and it arrives alive with mystery and color-buoyed by a voice that's a warm, mesmerizing call across time. Like Meg's previous LPs (and much of Espers output,) the foundation of Don't Weigh Down the Light is her lyrical, precise, and propulsive fingerstyle guitar work and a voice that moves from soaring and tender to soothing and spellbinding. A voice that more than a few have likened to folk's greatest female voices: Sandy Denny, Jacqui McShee, and Shirley Collins. Meg Baird's last decade would be remarkable by any artist's standards. She co-founded and recorded three albums with Espers-one of the most distinctive and hypnotic bands of the century's first decade. She recorded two solo LPs for Drag City - Dear Companion and Seasons on Earth. She also collaborated with Will Oldham, Kurt Vile, Sharon Van Etten, and Steve Gunn and toured with the legendary Bert Jansch. And while it's been four years since her last release, the days since have been anything but restful. She played drums and recorded with Philadelphia cave punks Watery Love, and toured with Michael Chapman, Michael Hurley, Vile, Cass McCombs, Hiss Golden Messenger, and Lambchop. And after more than a decade as a fixture in Philadelphia's boiling-over musical scene, Meg moved west to San Francisco where she joined forces (as drummer and lead vocalist) with members of Comets on Fire and Assemble Head to form the moody and thunderous Heron Oblivion. She also wrote and recorded Don't Weigh Down the Light.)

6.    BIOSPHERE-“MICROGRAVITY” [REMASTERED / EXPANDED EDITION] (6/23) (A remastered version of Biosphere's debut album Microgravity on double CD with a bonus album of previously unreleased tracks. From Wikipedia: "Geir Jenssen began releasing his music as Biosphere on obscure Norwegian compilation albums. His first Biosphere releases were the 12-inch single The Fairy Tale and the album Microgravity, both of which were rejected by SSR as unmarketable. Microgravity was released in 1991 on the Norwegian label Origo Sound, and saw wider release via the R&S Records subsidiary Apollo in 1992, to much critical acclaim." All tracks written and produced by Geir Jenssen. All tracks on CD2 and sides E-F are previously unreleased. Recorded in Skippergata 42, Tromsø, Norway, between 1990 and 1991. Mastered by Stefan Betke. Artwork by Philip Marshall.)

7.    BIRDSTRIKING-“BIRDSTRIKING” (6/23)

8.    THE CAIRO GANG-“GOES MISSING” (6/23) (2015 release from the indie band led by Emmett Kelly. There is no sweeter cry than a cry of love, and no greater love than a love of music. Like mercury through our clutching fingers, it is here and gone and spikes the blood like poison-and the Cairo knows, he's flown all 'round this world, sewin' seams and sowin' seeds in the name of that most rare, that sweet, and on the wind, melody. When he Goes Missing, bet on it-that with guitar in hand and cry from deep in his chest, he's in search of a place to beat his feet, and play the music again. Playing with other artists over the years, Emmett Kelly has exhibited an encompassing approach to music which lends flexibility to The Cairo Gang's song-style. He's a harmony singer of supreme skill, bringing not only a sweet and supple voice but also a tremendous sympathy to the singing of it (as anyone who's caught Cairo onstage with the Bonnie 'Prince' will ever know). Now a couple albums and tapes and singles and things into it he's making streamlined music for the ears, constructing with a heavy hand in order to have a heavy impact with more than just sounds, but songs, and beaming them in on bright bolts of sunshine so as to be valued by our walnut-sized pleasure centers. Goes Missing isn't just an awesome, awesome-sounding record of guitar pop that rocks, of songs sweetly hung with candified hooks; also it's a new report from the side of the road.)

9.    EVAN CAMINITI-“MERIDIAN” (6/23)

10. KEN CAMDEN-“DREAM MEMORY” (6/23)

11. CAYUCAS-“DANCING AT THE BLUEE LAGOON” (6/23)

12. CLASS ACTRESS-“MOVIES” (6/23)

13. CREEPOID-“CEMETERY HIGHRISE” (6/23)

14. CROOKERS-“SIXTEEN CHAPEL” (6/23)

15. DE LUX-“GENERATION” (6/23)

16. DESAPARECIDOS-“PAYOLA” (6/23) (More than a decade after putting out their first album, Desaparecidos return with a follow-up that breathes new life into their brutal fusion of protest music and punk. Though the band never truly parted ways, vocalist/guitarist Conor Oberst, guitarist Denver Dalley, keyboardist Ian McElroy, bassist/vocalist Landon Hedges, and drummer Matt Baum have spent much of the past 13 years pursuing other ambitions (including Oberst’s work as a solo artist and Bright Eyes frontman). Fueling their Epitaph Records debut Payola with the same spirit of unrest that propelled 2002’s Read Music/Speak Spanish, Desaparecidos now match that passion with a fuller, more furious sound and gut-punching commentary on everything from immigration reform and the healthcare debate to gun control and Wall Street bailouts. With its title capturing what McElroy calls “these endless examples of what’s wrong with the whole money culture happening in America today,” Payola was co-produced by the band and their longtime collaborator Mike Mogis (First Aid Kit, The Faint, Man Man). Recorded in several bursts over the past few years at ARC Studios in Omaha, the album’s 14 tracks pack a barrage of outcry and insight into each sharply crafted lyric while storming forward with a ferocious energy. And in their implausibly melodic blend of blistering riffs, lead-heavy rhythms, and savage vocal work, Desaparecidos reveal a bottled-up intensity that suggests a band whose chemistry’s stronger than ever before. “It wasn’t like we were trying to recapture some former glory,” says Oberst of Desaparecidos’ long-planned reunion in the studio. “It was like we had to do this, and we had to do it now.” ) 

17. DAVE DOUGLAS-“HIGH RISK” (6/23) 

18. EVERYTHING EVERYTHING-“GET TO HEAVEN” [DELUXE EDITION 2-CD] (6/23)

19. FIST CITY-“EVERYTHING IS A MESS” (6/23)

20. FLORENCE + THE MACHINE-“HOW BIG, HOW BLUE, HOW BEAUTIFUL: (INSTRUMENTALS)” (6/23) 

21. FUNKSTORUNG-“FUNKSTORUNG” (6/23) (German duo Funkstörung return from a ten-year break following their 2005 album The Return to the Acid Planet with their fourth album, arriving like a twisted Janus-head on a perfectly toned body. It's everything you've expected from glitch-hop's inventors and everything you have not. For those eagerly waiting for Funkstörung to deliver a new electronic innovation, like they did with their first record: this time they did not. Instead they do what they do best and take up the path they started to carve with Disconnected in 2004: luscious pop songs with heavy backbones and illustrious guests adding heartfelt vocals to a bed of fizzing basslines. It is a very vocal album, with guest singers on nearly every song, but they don't dominate the sound; they simply contribute to a fresh Funkstörung that has ripened a bit and been seasoned with a hell of a lot of flavor. Some of the voices on Funkstörung have been part of the family for a while; some of them, like Jamie Lidell, are new collaborators. But whether with old friends or newfound partners, each track on the album gets to the heart of electronic pop. As a whole, Funkstörung seems so well-balanced it's ready to be an instant classic. Its sunny vibes would go as well with a fine wine in front of a fireplace as with a plastic cup of beer and rubber boots at a muddy festival. Instead of concentrating on glitches and breaks, the two producers have put their effort into nurturing every sound to perfection; one can feel that nothing has been rushed, and each detail is in the right place. As Funkstörung put it, the album is about "evolution not revolution." Highlights include "Laid Out," featuring Anothr with a hook so big even your granny you won't get it out of her head for a week; and "So Simple," the collaborative effort with Lidell, whose smooth soul-crooning fits the chrome-glistening hip-hop beat like a velvet glove. The album also features contributions from Audego, Taprikk Sweezee, ADI, and Jay-Jay Johanson. Funkstörung comes in a beautiful sleeve designed by lauded graphic artists Zeitguised and Sebastian Onufszak.)

22. HELM-“OLYMPIC MESS” (6/23) (London-based experimentalist Luke Younger (aka Helm) returns to PAN with Olympic Mess, a record born of destructive practice, competing desires, and troubled optimism. Where his previous effort, 2014's The Hollow Organ (PAN 050EP), dealt in dense, distressed sonics, Olympic Mess is Younger responding to a period spent engaged with loop-based industrial music, dub techno, and balearic disco. These musical references, all of which can induce hypnotic states and feelings of euphoria, inform ten evocative aural landscapes that unfurl over the course of an hour and act almost as a counterpoint to the turmoil that spawned them. "It's about exploring a perverse desire to pull the rug from under yourself, and the struggle to achieve a healthy equilibrium between one's personal and artistic lives," Younger says. "Dealing with the problematic consequences of pushing your own limits, forming and dissolving relationships, transient lifestyles, physical and mental exhaustion, excess, and other kinds of personal chaos." Crafted using an array of heavily processed samples, found sound, and electroacoustics, personal conflict manifests in "I Exist in a Fog" and "Outerzone 2015," in which visceral noise disintegrates into veiled, ambient strata. The disquieting crescendos of "The Evening in Reverse" and "Fluid Cloak" offer no such relief, while the title-track and "Don't Lick the Jacket" are mineral, multilayered abstractions twisting around a brittle pulse. Following a period of extensive touring throughout the States and Europe, which included 20 dates in support of Danish punk group Iceage, Olympic Mess was recorded in London, New York, and Berlin by Sean Ragon, Luke Younger, and John Hannon. The album is mastered and cut by Rashad Becker at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin. It features photography by Kim Thue and artwork by Bill Kouligas.)

23. RICKIE LEE JONES-“THE OTHER SIDE OF DESIRE” (6/23)

24. LINDEN-“REST AND BE THANKFUL” (6/23)

25. THE ORB-“MOONBUILDING 2703 AD” (6/23) (Iconic electronic music pioneers The Orb return to Kompakt with Moonbuilding 2703 AD, another major slice of psychedelic synth bliss, obscure loops, and deep ambient textures tossed in swinging breakbeats and powerful basslines. Installing a forward momentum rather unusual for a genre-defying project like this, the latest effort from masterminds Alex Paterson and Thomas Fehlmann follows their 2005 album success on Kompakt, the cheekily named Okie Dokie It's The Orb On Kompakt (KOMP 045CD/KOM 128LP) -- as well as several contributions to Kompakt's Speicher and Pop Ambient series -- but, more importantly, it finds the legendary duo at the peak of its creativity, ringing in another essential phase in what can only be called a groundbreaking career. True to form, Moonbuilding 2703 AD features a small track list, but turns each one of its four cuts into a mini-epic in its own right. Opener "God's Mirrorball" hits the ground floating, employing a handful of cozy statics to great effect before finally discharging into an intricate mosaic of atmospheric, melodic sketches and gripping rhythms. With a hypnotic runtime of more than 14 minutes, it immediately establishes a blueprint for the other album tracks to follow, perfectly illustrating the vast extent of the artists' vision and their impressive skills in luring in listeners -- welcome to The Orb's sonic labyrinth, where nothing is what it seems and the unexpected waits just around the corner. Likewise, follow-up track "Moonscapes 2703 BC" presents itself as a uniquely versatile affair sitting comfortably between ambient flourishes and beat-driven focus, holding as many twists and turns as a caper movie, but carefully grounding every single one of its cliffhangers in its impeccable flow. With a runtime of approximately nine minutes, "Lunar Caves" is the shortest jam of the bunch -- and also the most ethereal, keeping its rhythmic content to a bare, pulse-like minimum and opting for enticing, freewheeling synth textures instead. Album closer and title cut "Moonbuilding 2703 AD" introduces a surprisingly jazzy vibe mingling rather well with the wealth of electronic tricks up its sleeve -- even indulging in abrasive bass sweeps and a breathtaking multitude of different rhythm sections constantly switching places. It's a fitting closing act for a full-length as multifaceted as this, as idiosyncratic as possible and as muscular as needed. Cover design by iconic graphic wizards The Designers Republic.)

26. PARLOUR TRICKS-“BROKEN HEARTS / BONES” (6/23)

27. PART TIME-“VIRGO’S MAZE” (6/23)

28. SON LUX-“BONES” (6/23) 

29. TERRANOVA-“RESTLESS” (6/23) (Returning to the full-length format after their acclaimed 2012 album Hotel Amour (KOMPAKT 095CD/KOM 248LP), open band project Terranova (aka DJ/producer duo Fetisch and &ME) presents Restless, a finely tuned succession of excitingly straightforward house bangers, a brilliant study in gravitational pull, and a smooth blend of instrumental and vocal tracks created with the help of old and new friends. Guests on Restless include Cath Coffey, Lydmor, Bon Homme, Stereo MCs, and Mandel Turner. Restless was recorded from November 2014 through January 2015 in Berlin bedrooms and mixed in Keinemusik's Wedding studio. Opener "Tell Me Why" wastes no time with elaborate countdowns or some ambient pad dragging-on; starting out with the characteristic vocals from Stereo MCs frontman Rob Birch, the track immediately cuts to the chase with its pronounced rhythm section and a simple but sturdy bass. NY house agent provocateur Mandel Turner makes an appearance on proto-futuristic strobe manifesto "Underverse," while singer Cath Coffey performs on uncanny valley national anthem "Twisted Souls," again deploying her unique brand of anarchist logotherapy after her appearance on Terranova's 2014 Headache EP (KOM 296EP). Bon Homme aka Tomas Høffding takes a stand on "Restless Summer," a top-notch reimagining of "Endless Summer" from the 2013 Painkiller EP (KOM 262EP) -- less campfire and more wormhole, his lyrics take on an urgency unheard in the parent track. He also appears on "Skin & Bones" in a flawless duet with partner in crime Lydmor. From the sequenced beauty of "Goldilocks" to the intuitive mayhem of "Watch Me," the album is a quest for the outer rim of club culture, looking for habitable exoplanets beyond the main floor. This is most clear on the appropriately named "Kepler 186f," both a tribute to NASA's iconic Kepler project and a thrilling amalgamation of pounding drums and sharp synth stabs. The CD version of this larger-than-terrestrial-life journey finds a suitable conclusion in "Uch? No Inu," translatable as "dog in space": it's Terranova's executive producer, driving force, and guest vocalist Rocco (the choc labrador) who takes center stage here, lending his lyrical musings to a highly energizing cut and wrapping up the riveting listening experience that is Restless. An ideal sonic companion for dancefloors, living rooms, and space pods alike. CD features two exclusive tracks: "Labrador" and "Uch? No Inu (feat. Roco).")

30. TOUGH AGE-“I GET THE FEELING CENTRAL” (6/23)

31. THE UNITS-“DIGITAL STIMULATION” (6/23)

32. WHITE POPPY-“NATURAL PHENOMENA” (6/23)

33. KATHRYN WILLIAMS-“HYPOXIA” (6/23) 

34. WOLF ALICE-“MY LOVE IS COOL” (6/23)  (London-based four-piece Wolf Alice will release their debut album entitled My Love Is Cool on June 23rdvia Dirty Hit / RCA Records. Produced by Mike Crossey (Arctic Monkeys, Foals, Black Keys), My Love Is Cool is a remarkable leap forward from the band's EP Creature Songs, released last year. Having already captured critical acclaim on their track and breakout video for "Moaning Lisa Smile" which was previously released in the UK, Wolf Alice is poised for global success. Following a breakthrough 2014 in the UK, Wolf Alice now have their sights set on the U.S. and are poised for an international takeover. They recently made their sold-out U.S. debuts in LA and NYC, stopped by KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" for their US radio debut and performed at SXSW this past March. Last year in the UK, the group appeared on the prestigious BBC Sound of 2015 long list, became the #4 most blogged artist of 2014 on Hype Machine, and won Best Breakthrough Artists at the UK Festival Awards. They were also named one of Billboard Magazine's Artists to Watch in 2015.)

35. THE WOODEN SKY-“LET’S BE READY” (6/23)