NEW RELEASES 2015 WEEK # 35 SEPTEMBER 4, 2015

SEPTEMBER 4, 2015 (WEEK #35)

1.    A-HA-“CAST IN STEEL” [DELUXE EDITION 2-CD] (9/4)

2.    LOU BARLOW-“BRACE THE WAVE” (9/4) (“I recorded ‘brace the wave’ in about 6 days with Justin Pizzoferrato at Sonelab studios in Easthampton Massachusetts ( I have recently moved back to the area after 17 years in LA ). Justin was the engineer for the 3 Dinosaur Jr ‘reunion’ LP’s , “beyond”, “farm” and “I bet on sky” . My ease with Justin meant I approached the sessions with a focus and confidence I don’t usually feel. Songs like “redeemed” , “wave’ and “moving’ reprise my early methods of tuning my ukelele down low and writing the song in the moment , during the recording process. Others like “lazy” and “c+e” are live recordings of traditional-style folk songs , some which I began writing nearly 20 years ago. The lyrics encapsulate yet another transitional period in my life . I still don’t feel I have a choice but to puzzle over difficult times in my songs. I kept this album short anticipating the listener fatigue associated with a musician who’s been around for 25+ years. As a music obsessive myself, I understand. I like new things too. But here it is, ‘Lou’s Anxiety Song’ versions 740 through 749: ‘brace the wave’ . Thanks for listening.” - Lou Barlow)

3.    DAN BERN-“HOODY” (9/4)

4.    BOY-“WE WERE HERE” (9/4) 

5.    ANE BRUN-“WHEN I’M FREE” [IMPORT] (9/4)

6.    JOEY CAPE-“STITCH PUPPY” (9/4)

7.    COLD BEAT-“INTO THE AIR” (9/4) 

8.    LLOYD COLE-“1D ELECTRONCIS 2012-2014” (9/4) 

9.    CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX-“OH’ECH-OES (WITH SE DELAN)” (9/4) 

10. FIDLAR-“TOO” (9/4)

11. HELENA HAUFF-“DISCRETE DESIRES” (9/4) 

12. HOLY SONS-“FALL OF MAN” (9/4)

13. TOMMY KEENE-“LAUGH IN THE DARK” (9/4)

14. JAMES LEG-“BELOW THE BELT” (9/4)

15. MAGIC CASTLES-“STARFLOWER” (9/4)

16. NATURAL SNOW BUILDINGS-“TERRO’S HORNS” (9/4)

17. PAINTED PALMS-“HORIZONS” (9/4) 

18. PANDA BEAR-“CROSSWORDS” [EP] (9/4) 

19. PUBLIC IMAGE LTD-“WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW…” (9/4)

20. THE RADIO DEPT-“OCCUPIED” [EP] (9/4) 

21. JOAN SHELLEY-“OVER AND EVEN” (9/4) (Joan Shelly's new album, Over And Even, was written in the back of an abandoned beauty parlor on the island of Thessaloniki. The whole thing had something to do with Vashti Bunyan. That's what Joan told me, but Joan Shelley is a poet, so she makes things up. In a small, dark room that smells of expired hair-do chemicals, there is talk of hypnosis. All the windows are blacked out. "Look into my eyes." White walls are blinding in the ancient sunlight. A bowl of oranges shines like solid gold, waiting for you. There is a small classical guitar, a sunburn, and a key that turns a lock, and songs come pouring out. Maybe the Greek deal was really about Leonard Cohen. That's Joanie's jam: songs wide open enough to let the wind blow the curtains around, and solid enough to hang a ton of heartache on. She writes smart, beautiful songs full of poetry, history, mystery and nature. Like all the best sad songs, they will make you cry. Then they will drag you outside and leave you flat on your back, staring up at the stars. Joan lands on a note like a laser beam on a diamond. Colors fly around the room, and her voice bends between them. People say her voice reminds them of Sandy Denny. It's more than the vocal range. It's a quiet power that draws you in. Maybe Over And Even wasn't written last winter on a Greek island. Maybe these songs were written a hundred years ago in a farmhouse somewhere in Kentucky. That's where Joan is from, and that's where she and guitar player Nathan Salsburg recorded all the basic tracks live. All the people who played on Joan's new record -- and Daniel Martin Moore who recorded and engineered it -- are friends. That comes through somehow in the sound of the album. Will Oldham and Glen Dettinger are genius harmony singers. They leave the perfect amount of space for microscopic shifts in Joan's voice, without sacrificing their own awesome idiosyncrasies. Nathan Salsburg's guitar follows every twist of the melody. When the song breaks your heart in two, Nathan is there with a high E-string to sew it back together. Joan Shelley's voice flows out like a river. It never travels in a straight line. It follows bends and curves carved by history. We are all lucky just to be swept away, and go with her wherever she's going. "But it's not over by half There's a gold in your eyes blooming out through the black And you're still standing, your hand on the map No its not over, not over by half" the end.)

22. SHIT & SHINE-“EVERYBODY’S A FUCKIN EXPERT” (9/4) (The ascent of Shit and Shine is one of the great audio headfucks in memory, from its genesis out of the South London noise rock revivalist scene to a zone where rabbit-costumed maniacs bled a unique form of multi-drum and electronic hysteria to its incarnation of destroyed lysergic dance music. Shit and Shine is the epitome of second-guess-subversion. With a foot in every pie, it continues on a fantastic, twisted path. Everybody's a Fuckin Expert lays forth another slab of inverted tranquility in which general disruption is kept in check by the subversive charm unique to the outfit. Gunfire rhythms lay waste to androgynous sonics on "Ass"; deep sea disorientation allows pools of plasticine audio to rise on "Rastplatz"; "Picnic Table" rinses electro out of thick, gelatinous cybernetics. Everybody's a Fuckin Expert takes a smorgasbord of sounds and styles and contorts them into a bright hope in twisted theater, disorientating dance, and hefty hedonism. Both the faint- and strong-hearted allowed permanent entry to this club.)

23. THIGHPAULSANDRA-“GOLDEN COMMUNION” (9/4) (Thighpaulsandra presents his seventh full-length album and his first since 2006's The Lepore Extrusion. Well over a decade in the making, The Golden Communion is his debut for Editions Mego. It comprises ten songs and runs well over two hours, with individual pieces clocking in between four and 28 minutes. Featured musicians on the album include regular collaborators Martin Schellard and Siôn Orgon, plus the odd guest/ghost from bands with which Thighpaulsandra has worked in the past. Listeners who have heard any of Thighpaulsandra's previous albums will know that it's best to approach this work with no fixed set of expectations; once again, Thighpaulsandra changes genres and defies easy classification, sometimes more than once within one song. Drawing on his long-time background as a key member in such diverse groups as Coil, Spiritualized, and Julian Cope's band (in each case arguably at the height of the group's creative prowess) and his work as producer and sound engineer for an even larger variety of customers, he offers classical passages next to hard rock riffing; krauty experimental work-outs turning into super-catchy, almost radio-friendly songs; and more. Many adjectives have been used to describe Thighpaulsandra's work -- "epic," "challenging," "timeless," "idiosyncratic" -- but certainly never "predictable" or "boring." Possibly his most rewarding album yet and a welcome and unusual entry in the Mego catalog, The Golden Communion will entertain and astonish listeners who are fond of having their minds severely altered by sound.)
24. UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS-“NIGHT CREEPER” (9/4)

25. WIDOWSPEAK-“ALL YOURS” (9/4)

26. WOOLEN MEN-“TEMPORARY MONUMENT” (9/4) ("Woodsist is proud to present the sophomore full-length album from Woolen Men. Following a handful of singles, EPs and cassette releases "Temporary Monument" is an album dedicated to the changing landscape of their beloved hometown Portland Oregon. Heavily influenced by the Pacific Northwest punk and DIY heroes Dead Moon and the Wipers, Woolen Men are definitely keeping the spirit alive.")

27. WUSSY-“PUBLIC DOMAIN VOL. 1” [EP] (9/4)