New stuff (CDs / vinyl)

Artist:Title:Label:
Accept“Blind Rage” (Hear here; MP3)(Nuclear Blast)
Bad Case of Big Mouth (easycore band from Harrison, N.J.)“Straight Up Bad Luck” (Hear here; MP3)(Eulogy Recordings)
Bahamas (Ontario-based musician Afie Jurvanen)“Bahamas Is Alfie” (producer: Bahamas; first single: “All the Time”; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3)(Brushfire / Republic)
Liam Bailey (U.K. soul/rock singer)“Definitely Now” (producers: Salaam Remi, Bailey; first single: “On My Mind”; Hear here; MP3)(Flying Buddha – Remi’s label)
Beach Day“Native Echoes” (producer: Jim Diamond; first single: “All My Friends Were Punks”; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3)(Kanine)
Big Engine“Shot Like a Rocket” (Hear here; MP3)(Pavement Music)
Elvin Bishop“Can’t Even Do Wrong Right” (Mickey Thomas sings lead on “Let Your Woman Have Her Way,” his first collaboration with Bishop since 1976’s “Fooled Around and Fell in Love”; guest: Charlie Musselwhite; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3)(Alligator)
Bishop Allen (Brooklyn indie-pop group)“Lights Out” (first single: “Start Again”; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3)(Dead Oceans)
Benjamin Booker (New Orleans-based singer-songwriter)“Benjamin Booker” (producer: Andrija Tokic; Hear here; See here; Vinyl; MP3)(ATO)
Chuck Brown & The Chuck Brown Band“Beautiful Life” (the Godfather of Go-Go’s final album, recorded before his death in May 2012; guests: Wale, Faith Evans, Raheem DeVaughn, Sugar Bear, etc.; Hear/read here; MP3)(Raw Venture)
Buckcherry“Fuck” (six-song EP; Hear here)(F-Bomb)
Danielia Cotton“The Real Book” (her first album of covers; producer: Kevin Salem; guests: Amy Helm, Tracy Bonham, Rachel Yamagata; Hear here)(Cottontown)
Rocco DeLuca“Rocco DeLuca” (producer: Daniel Lanois; first single: “Colors of the Cold”; Hear here; Read here; MP3)(429)
Dirty Loops“Loopified” (first single: “Hit Me”; Hear here; See here; MP3)(Verve)
Colton Dixon (season 11 “American Idol” finalist)“Anchor” (producers: David Garcia, Red Decibel; first single: “More of You”; Hear here; MP3)(Sparrow)
Dr. John“Ske-Dat-De-Dat … The Spirit of Satch” (a tribute to Louis Armstrong; guests: Bonnie Raitt, Ledisi, Blind Boys of Alabama, Anthony Hamilton, The McCrary Sisters, Shemekia Copeland, Terence Blanchard, Arturo Sandoval, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, etc.; Hear here; Read here; MP3)(Concord)
Electric Würms (prog-rock side project featuring The Flaming Lips’ Steven Drozd and Wayne Coyne, backed by Nashville psychedelic rock band Linear Downfall)“Musik, Die Shwer Zu Twerk” (first single: a cover of Yes’ “Heart of the Sunrise”; Hear here; Vinyl)(Warner)
Enuff Z’Nuff“Covered in Gold” (14 cover songs; Hear here; MP3)(Cleopatra)
Orenda Fink (former Azure Ray singer)“Blue Dream” (producers: Ben Brodin, Todd Fink; new single: “You Can Be Loved”; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3)(Saddle Creek)
Ruthie Foster“Promise of a Brand New Day” (producer: Meshell Ndegeocello; guests: Doyle Bramhall II, Toshi Reagon; Hear here; MP3)(Blue Corn Music)
Roddy Frame (former Aztec Camera frontman)“Seven Dials” (his first solo album in eight years was released in the U.K. in May; producers: Frame, Sebastian Lewsley; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3)(AED – Edwyn Collins’ label)
Ace Frehley“Space Invader” (includes a cover of “The Joker”; Hear here; Read here; Vinyl; MP3)(eOne Music)
Bebel Gilberto“Tudo!” (producer: Mario C.; Hear here; MP3)(Portrait / Sony Music Masterworks)
Christian Gregory (British soul revivalist)“Count On You” (four-song EP, co-written with Michael Kiwanuka; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3)(Movement / Fat Possum)
Euge Groove“Got 2 Be Groovin” (guests: Elliot Yamin, Chanel Haynes; Hear here; MP3)(Shanachie)
Paul Hardcastle“Moovin & Groovin” (disco-flavored album; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3)(Trippin N’ Rhythm)
Imogen Heap“Sparks” (Hear here; Read here; Deluxe edition; MP3)(RCA)
Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas“Secret Evil” (producer: Milo Froideval; first single: “Tired Oak”; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3)(Instant – producer Richard Gottehrer’s label)
Sarah Jaffe (Texas singer-songwriter)“Don’t Disconnect” (producer: Midlake’s McKenzie Smith; Hear here; See here; MP3)(Kirtland)
Jars of Clay“20” (acoustic versions of 20 songs chosen by fans, to help the band celebrate its 20th anniversary; Hear here)(+180)
JJ (Swedish band)“V” (Hear here; Vinyl; MP3)(Secretly Canadian / Sincerely Yours)
Wiz Khalifa“Blacc Hollywood” (first single: “We Dem Boyz”; Hear here; MP3; MP3 Deluxe Edition)(Rostrum / Atlantic)
Kimbra“The Golden Echo” (the track “As You Are” features a string arrangement by Van Dyke Parks; producers: Kimbra, Rich Costey; guests: John Legend, Muse’s Matt Bellamy, John JR Robinson, Thundercat, Flying Lotus, Dirty Projector’s Dave Longstreth, Mars Volta’s Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, Bilal; first single: “90s Music”; Hear here; See here; Vinyl; MP3; MP3 Deluxe Edition)(Warner)
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu (Queen of J-pop)“Pika Pika Fantajin” (producer: Yasutaka Nakata; first single: “Kira Kira Killer”; Hear here; See here; MP3)(Warner)
The Last Internationale (NYC indie rock band)“We Will Reign” (producer: Brendan O’Brien; first single: “Killing Fields”; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3)(Epic)
The Magic Numbers“Alias” (their first album since 2010; producer: guitarist-vocalist Romeo Stodart; first single: “Shot in the Dark”; Hear here; Read here; Vinyl)(U.K. – Caroline, Aug. 18)
Mud Morganfield & Kim Wilson“For Pops: A Tribute To Muddy Waters” (Morganfield is the son of Waters, and Wilson is the frontman of the Fabulous Thunderbirds)(Severn)
Neal Morse“Songs From November” (producer: Morse; Hear here)(Metal Blade)
Laura Mvula“Laura Mvula With Metropole Orkest” (52-piece orchestra conducted by Jules Buckley at Abbey Road Studios; Hear here; See here; MP3)(RCA)
Chase Rice“Ignite the Night” (Hear here; MP3)(Dack Janiels / Columbia)
Roadkill Ghost Choir (indie folk-rock band from De Land, Fla.)“In Tongues” (producer: Doug Boehm; first single: “A Blow to the Head”; Hear here; MP3)(Greatest Hiss / Wolfbomb Productions)
Smokey Robinson“Smokey & Friends” (all-star duets album; guests: Elton John, James Taylor, Steven Tyler, Sheryl Crow, John Legend, Mary J. Blige, etc.; Hear here; Read here; MP3)(Verve)
Selah“You Amaze Us” (first single: “You Amaze Us”; Hear here; MP3)(Curb)
Sleeping Bag“Deep Sleep” (Hear here; Vinyl; MP3)(Joyful Noise Recordings)
Ray Stevens“Gospel Collection (Volume One)” (Hear here)(Gaither Music Group / Universal)
Sugar Ray and the Bluetones (Chicago-style blues band)“Living Tear To Tear” (Hear here)(Severn)
Paul Thorn (Americana artist)“Too Blessed to Be Stressed” (Hear here; Read here; MP3)(Perpetual Obscurity)
Randy Travis“Influence Vol. 2: The Man I Am” (Hear here; MP3)(Warner)
Twin Atlantic“Great Divide” (producers: Gil Norton, Jacknife Lee; Hear here; Read here; MP3)(Red Bull)
Midge Ure“Fragile” (first single: “Become”; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3)(Hypertension)
Various artists“If I Stay: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack” (featuring songs by Beck, Sonic Youth, Odessa, Tom Odell, Willamette Stone, etc.; MP3)(WaterTower Music)
Various artists“Look Again to the Wind: Johnny Cash’s Bitter Tears Revisited” (Americana artists re-imagine and update Cash’s 1964 concept album “Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian”; producer: Joe Henry; contributors: Kris Kristofferson, Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Bill Miller, etc.; Hear here; MP3)(Sony Music Masterworks)
Various artists“VH1 Love & Hip Hop: Music From the Series” (MP3)(Def Jam)

More Releases for the Week of Aug. 19, 2014

New stuff (MP3s)

Artist:Title:Label:
Buddy (L.A.-based band)“Last Call for the Quiet Life [MP3]” (guests: Michelle Branch, Cary Brothers, Holly Conlan; first single: “Weak Currents”; Hear here)(Stove Punchin’)
Desperate Hero (Birmingham, Ala.-based hard rock band)“Bound For Glory [MP3]” (ReverbNation)(Tate Music Group)
Hobart Ocean (L.A.-based rock quartet)“Another Heartbreak [MP3]” (ReverbNation)(Swift Endeavor)
Katrina Leskanich (ex-Katrina & the Waves)“Blisland [MP3]” (Hear here)(Katrina’s Web, Aug. 18)

Reissues (CDs / vinyl)

Artist:Title:Label:
Better Than Ezra“Surprise” (1990 album; remastered; MP3)(Liaison)
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band“Live 1966-67” (Read here)(Keyhole)
Perry Como“The Best of Perry Como” (two CDs, 50 songs)(Not Now Music)
Cream“Best of Cream [Vinyl]” (remastered)(Polydor / UMe)
Amy Grant“In Motion: The Remixes” (remixes of her past hits by Chris Cox, Tony Moran, Moto Blanco, 7th Heaven and Dave Aude; Hear/read here; Vinyl; MP3)(Sparrow)
The Human League“Dare [Vinyl]” (1982 album; remastered)(Geffen / UMe)
Bob James“Foxie” (1983 album; remastered), “The Genie: Themes & Variations From Taxi” (1983 album; remastered), “12” (1984 album; remastered)(Red River Entertainment)
The Kinks“Klassics: The Best of The Kinks” (17 tracks)(U.K. – Sony Music, Aug. 18)
Stevie Nicks“House of Blues: The Classic 1994 Broadcast” (two LPs)(Plastic Head America)
Phil Ochs“Live in Lansing 1973”(RockBeat)
The Posies“Failure” (1988 debut album; remastered, with eight bonus tracks; Vinyl; MP3)(Omnivore Recordings)
Redbone“Come and Get Your Redbone: The Best of Redbone” (19 tracks)(U.K. – Floating World, Aug. 18)
Stereo MC’s“Connected [Vinyl]” (1992 album; remastered)(Island / UMe)
The Temptations“Cloud Nine [Vinyl]” (1969 album; remastered)(Motown / UMe)
Various artists“Their Greatest Misses” (subtitled “60 Original Tracks That Should Have Been Hits”; three CDs)(One Day Music)

More Releases for the Week of Aug. 19, 2014

Reissues (MP3s)

Artist:Title:Label:
Leonard Cohen“The Complete Studio Albums Collection [MP3]” (nine complete albums; remastered)(Columbia / Legacy)
Lee Dorsey“The Essential Lee Dorsey [MP3]” (40 songs)(Arista / Legacy)
Eddie Fisher“Hot Lunch [MP3]” (1977 album; remastered)(Essential Media Group)
Art Garfunkel“Lefty [MP3]” (1988 album)(Columbia / Legacy)
Gunhill Road“Gunhill Road [MP3]” (1972 album; with three bonus tracks)(Columbia / Legacy)
Phyllis Hyman“The Essential Phyllis Hyman [MP3]” (30 songs)(RCA / Legacy)
Iron Butterfly“Metamorphosis [MP3]” (1970 album)(Rhino / Atlantic)
Ray, Goodman & Brown“All About Love, Who’s Gonna Make the First Move? [MP3]” (1984 album; remastered)(Essential Media Group)
Mohamed Saklain, Pandit Gopal Das, Ustad Asad Ali Khan“North India: Instrumental Music of Mediaeval India [MP3]”(Smithsonian Folkways Recordings / Auvidis-UNESCO)
Scruffy the Cat“Time Never Forgets: The Anthology (’86-’88) [MP3]” (38 songs)(Relativity / Legacy)
Carla Thomas“Carla [MP3]” (1966 album)(Rhino / Atlantic)
Various artists“Trinidad & Tobago: Trinidad – Music from the North Indian Tradition [MP3]”(Smithsonian Folkways Recordings / Auvidis-UNESCO)

DVD / Blu-ray

Artist:Title:Label:
Charlie Chaplin, Harry Langdon, et al“The Mack Sennett Collection, Vol. One [Blu-ray]” (three discs)(Flicker Alley)
Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, et al“The Amazing Spider-Man 2 [DVD]” (2014 film; Blu-ray + DVD; Electro Collector’s Edition)(Universal Studios)
John Goodman, Rick Moranis, et al“The Flintstones [Blu-ray]” (1994 film)(Universal Studios)
Justin Hayward“Spirits … Live – Live at the Buckhead Theater, Atlanta [DVD]” (recorded last August at the end of his first solo tour in support of “Spirits of the Western Sky”; CD; MP3; Blu-ray)(Eagle Rock)
John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, Suzanne Somers, et al“Three’s Company: The Complete Series 1977-1984 [DVD]” (26 discs)(Anchor Bay)

More DVD/Blu-ray Releases for the Week of Aug. 19, 2014

Music books

Subject/ Author(s):Title:Publisher/Due date:
Martin Popoff“The Big Book of Hair Metal: The Illustrated Oral History of Heavy Metal’s Debauched Decade [Hardcover]”(Voyageur Press)
Kanye West“Kanye West Superstar [Paperback]” (author: Byron Crawford)(CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform)

More Book Releases for the Week of Aug. 19, 2014

Next week: Aug. 26, 2014

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