New stuff (CDs / vinyl)
| Artist: | Title: | Label: |
| Alabama Shakes | “Sound & Color” (first single: “Don’t Wanna Fight”; Hear here; See here; Vinyl; MP3) | (ATO) |
| The Alchemist and Oh No | “The Alchemist and Oh No Present Welcome to Los Santos” (new tracks inspired by Grand Theft Auto V’s original score, composed by The Alchemist and Oh No in partnership with Woody Jackson and Tangerine Dream; guests: Earl Sweatshirt, Little Dragon, Phantogram, Freddie Gibbs, Popcaan, Killer Mike, Tunde Adebimpe, Samuel T. Herring from Future Islands; new single: “Lock & Load”; Hear here; MP3) | (Rockstar Games / Mass Appeal) |
| Apocalyptica (Finnish cello rockers) | “Shadowmaker” (producer: Nick Raskulinecz; Hear here; See here; Vinyl; Deluxe Edition; MP3) | (Better Noise / Eleven Seven Music Group) |
| The Ballroom Thieves (Boston roots/indie-folk trio) | “A Wolf in the Doorway” (first single: “Wild Woman”; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3) | (Blue Corn Music) |
| Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers | “Loved Wild Lost” (first single: “Waiting on Love”; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3) | (Little Sur) |
| BoDeans | “I Can’t Stop” (Hear here) | (Free & Alive) |
| Built to Spill | “Untethered Moon” (first album with new band members Steve Gere, on drums, and bassist Jason Albertini; producers: vocalist-guitarist Doug Martsch, Sam Coomes; Hear here; MP3) | (Warner) |
| City of Ships | “Ultraluminal” (producers: City of Ships, Andrew Schneider; Hear here) | (Translation Loss) |
| John Conlee | “Classics 2” (first single: “Walkin’ Behind the Star”; Hear here) | (Rose Colored Records) |
| Danko Jones | “Fire Music” (producer: Eric Ratz; See here; MP3) | (Bad Taste / MRI) |
| Debbie Davies | “Love Spin” (guests: Terry Hanck, Dana Robbins, Dave Keyes, Jay Stollman; Hear here; MP3) | (Little Dipper / VizzTone) |
| Dayseeker (San Diego quintet) | “Origin” (producer: Nick Ingram; first single: “The Earth Will Turn”; Hear here; MP3) | (InVogue) |
| Donn T (Philly-born sister of Questlove) | “Flight of the Donn T” (producers: Donn T, husband Jake Morelli; first single: “Midnight”; Hear here; MP3) | (D Tone Victorious / MRI / RED) |
| Drake | “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late” (released digitally on Feb. 13; Hear/read here; MP3) | (Cash Money / Motown) |
| Fall to June (Florida southern rockers) | “Fall to June” (producer: Stan Martell; Hear here; See here; MP3) | (MRI) |
| Hardcore Superstars (street metal heroes from Gothenburg, Sweden) | “HCSS” (Hear here) | (GAIN Music Entertainment / MRI) |
| Joywave (indie rock band from Rochester, N.Y.) | “How Do You Feel Now?” (guest: KOPPS; first single: “Somebody New”; Hear here; MP3) | (Cultco Music / Hollywood) |
| KB (hip-hop artist) | “Tomorrow We Live” (Hear here) | (Reach) |
| Dustin Kensrue | “Carry the Fire” (the Thrice frontman’s first solo album since 2007; producer: Kensrue; first single: “Back to Back”; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3) | (Staple / Vagrant) |
| Sam Lewis (Americana-soul slinger) | “Waiting On You” (producer: Wood Brothers’ Oliver Wood; guests: Kenny Vaughan, Darrell Scott, The McCrary Sisters, Will Kimbrough, Gabe Dixon, etc.; first single: “3/4 Time”; Hear here; MP3) | (Brash Music) |
| Low Cut Connie | “Hi Honey” (Hear here; Vinyl; MP3) | (Contender) |
| Maná | “Cama Incendiada” (first single: “Mi Verdad,” feat. Shakira; Hear here) | (Warner Music Latina) |
| Jimbo Mathus | “Blue Healer” (Hear here; Vinyl) | (Fat Possum) |
| Miami Horror (Australian electronic quartet) | “All Possible Futures” (producer: Ben Plant; guests: Sarah Chernoff, Cleopold, Aaron Miller, Gavin Turek; Hear here; Vinyl) | (Dine Alone) |
| Miniboone (Brooklyn quartet) | “Bad Sports” (producer: Travis Harrison; first single: “New Song”; Hear here; MP3) | (Ernest Jenning Record Co.) |
| Passion Pit | “Kindred” (first single: “Lifted Up (1985)”; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3) | (Columbia) |
| Jim Peterik & Marc Scherer | “Risk Everything” (Hear here) | (Frontiers) |
| Tad Robinson | “Day Into Night” (producers: David Earl, Steve Gomes, Kevin Anker; guests: Anson Funderburgh, Alex Schultz, Johnny Moeller; Hear here; Vinyl) | (Severn) |
| Randy Rogers & Wade Bowen | “Hold My Beer: Vol. 1” (producer: Lloyd Maines; Hear here; Read here; MP3) | (Lil’ Buddy Toons, April 20) |
| Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers | “#imsoneworleans” (guests: Naya Jones, daughter Kaylin Orleans Ruffins; Hear here; MP3) | (Basin Street) |
| San Fermin (eight-piece rock ensemble) | “Jackrabbit” (producer: Peter Katis; Hear/read here; MP3) | (Downtown) |
| Shattered Sun (Texas metal band) | “Hope Within Hatred” (Hear here; MP3) | (Victory) |
| Skinny Lister (London folk duo) | “Down on Deptford Broadway” (producer: Ted Hutt; Hear here; See here; MP3) | (Xtra Mile Recordings) |
| Speedy Ortiz | “Foil Deer” (Hear here; Vinyl; MP3) | (Carpark) |
| Squarepusher | “Damogen Furies” (new single: “Stor Eiglass”; Hear here; Vinyl) | (Warp) |
| Mavis Staples | “Your Good Fortune” (four-song EP, with Son Little; Hear here; MP3) | (ANTI- / Epitaph) |
| Stornoway | “Bonxie” (producer: Gil Norton; first single: “The Road You Didn’t Take”; Hear here) | (Cooking Vinyl) |
| They Might Be Giants | “Glean” (Hear here; Vinyl) | (Idlewild Recordings) |
| Turbo Fruits | “No Control” (producer: The Black Keys’ Patrick Carney; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3) | (Melvin / Thirty Tigers) |
| Rocky Votolato (Seattle folk-rock artist) | “Hospital Handshakes” (producer: Chris Walla; Hear here; MP3) | (No Sleep) |
| Ben Williams (winner of the 2009 Thelonious Monk Institute International Jazz Competition) | “Coming of Age” (includes covers of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and Lianne La Havas’ “Lost & Found”; guests: Goapele, Christian Scott, Stefon Harris, W. Ellington Felton; Hear here; MP3) | (Concord) |
| Wire | “Wire” (first single: “Joust & Jostle”; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3) | (Pinkflag) |
| Yelawolf | “Love Story” (producers: Malay, WLPWR, Eminem; Hear here; MP3) | (Slumerican / Shady / Interscope) |
More Releases for the Week of April 21, 2015
New stuff (MP3s)
| Artist: | Title: | Label: |
| The Cathode Ray (Edinburgh alternative outfit) | “Infinite Variety” (first single: “Resist”; Hear here) | (Stereogram Recordings, April 20) |
| Christopher Martin (Jamaican reggae crooner) | “Steppin Razor” (five-song EP; producers: TJ Records, Troy “Troyton” Hinds, ZJ Dymond, Clive Hunt, Frankie Music; See here) | (VP) |
| The Muscadettes (Montreal twin-sister duo) | “Side A” (five-song EP; first single: “I’m in Love”; Hear here) | (PaperCup Music) |
| Rob Nance | “Signal Fires” (Hear here) | (Rob Nance) |
| ShaManic (indie rapper) | “The Artist” (first single: “Mindless”; Hear here) | (Classy Turtle) |
| The Wealden (U.K. avant-pop duo) | “Rushes” (four-song EP; first single: “Lifeline”; See here) | (Wealden) |
| Keller Williams | “Vape” (Hear here) | (Keller Williams, April 20) |
More Digital Releases for the Week of April 21, 2015
Reissues (CDs / vinyl)
| Artist: | Title: | Label: |
| America | “Homecoming [Hybrid SACD]” (1973 album; remastered; mastered by Steve Hoffman at Stephen Marsh Mastering) | (Audio Fidelity) |
| George Benson | “The Ultimate Collection” (two CDs, 36 songs) | (Rhino) |
| Hamilton Bohannon | “Brunswick Complete Singles Collection” | (Japan – Brunswick / Ultra Vybe, April 20) |
| Marc Bolan & T. Rex | “For All the Cats: The Best of Marc Bolan & T. Rex” (two CDs, 49 songs; featuring hits, B-sides, key album tracks and rarities) | (U.K. – UMC, April 20) |
| Grayson Capps | “If You Knew My Mind” (2005 album; remastered, with three previously unreleased bonus tracks; Hear here; Vinyl) | (Royal Potato Family) |
| Gene Chandler | “Brunswick Complete Singles Collection” | (Japan – Brunswick / Ultra Vybe, April 20) |
| The Chi-Lites | “Brunswick Complete Singles Collection” | (Japan – Brunswick / Ultra Vybe, April 20) |
| Tyrone Davis | “Brunswick Complete Singles Collection” | (Japan – Brunswick / Ultra Vybe, April 20) |
| Delerium | “Rarities & B-Sides” (two CDs, 19 tracks, including three new songs; Hear/read here; MP3) | (Nettwerk) |
| Earth, Wind & Fire | “Open Our Eyes [Hybrid SACD]” (1974 album; remastered) | (Audio Fidelity) |
| David Gray | “White Ladder” (1998 album; remastered), “Lost Songs 95-98” (2001 compilation; remastered), “A New Day At Midnight” (2002 album; remastered), “Life in Slow Motion” (2005 album; remastered), “Draw the Line” (2009 album), “Foundling” (2010 album), “Greatest Hits” (2007 compilation; 14 tracks) | (IHT) |
| Annette Hanshaw | “The Best of Annette Hanshaw” (26 tracks) | (Sounds of Yesteryear) |
| Billie Holiday | “God Bless the Child: Best of Billie Holiday” (14 songs; MP3) | (Verve) |
| Dick Hyman | “Moon Gas / Moog: The Electric Eclectics” (1963, 1969 albums; remastered, with two bonus tracks) | (Omni Recording Co.) |
| Joan Jett & The Blackhearts | “I Love Rock-N-Roll 33 1/3 Anniversary Edition” (1982 album; remastered, with a second disc of bonus material; Vinyl) | (Blackheart) |
| Labelle | “Nightbirds [Hybrid SACD]” (1974 album, including “Lady Marmalade”; remastered) | (Audio Fidelity) |
| Larry’s Rebels (New Zealand pop/rock group) | “I Feel Good: The Essential Purple Flashes of Larry’s Rebels 1965-1969” (25 tracks; Hear here; Read here) | (U.K. – RPM / Cherry Red, April 20) |
| John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers | “Live in 1967” | (Forty Below) |
| Paul Revere & The Raiders featuring Mark Lindsay | “Revolution! (Deluxe Expanded Mono Edition)” (1967 album; remastered, with 11 bonus tracks; mastered by Alan Brownstein from the original master tapes; Read here) | (U.K. – Now Sounds, April 20) |
| Roxy Music | “Complete Studio Albums [Vinyl box set]” (eight LPs) | (Virgin / UMe) |
| Frank Sinatra | “Ultimate Sinatra” (four-CD, 100-song box set celebrating his 100th birthday; Vinyl; MP3) | (Capitol / UMe) |
| The Sons of Champlin | “Welcome to the Dance / The Sons of Champlin / A Circle Filled With Love / Loving Is Why” (1973, 1975, 1976 and 1977 albums on two CDs; remastered; Read here) | (U.K. – BGO, April 20) |
| Joe Tex | “Anthology” (three CDs, 60 songs, spanning 1955 to 1977; Track list) | (U.K. – Not Bad, April 20) |
| Tower of Power | “East Bay Grease / Bump City” (1970, 1972 albums on one CD, including “You’re Still a Young Man”; remastered) | (Friday Music) |
| Randy Travis | “On the Other Hand: All the Number Ones” (15 hits; MP3) | (Warner Music Nashville) |
| Various artists | “The Best Ever: 90s Dance” (two CDs, 36 songs; Track list) | (U.K. – Rhino, April 20) |
| Various artists | “The Big Broadcast, Volume 10 – Jazz and Popular Music of the 1920s and 1930s” (24 tracks) | (Rivermont) |
| Various artists | “111 The Piano: Legendary Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon [Box set]” (40 discs, featuring 32 pianists) | (Deutsche Grammophon) |
| Various artists | “Hard To Find Jukebox Classics 1964: Rock, Rhythm & Pop” (29 original songs, featuring Johnny Rivers, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, Major Lance, Herman’s Hermits, Chad & Jeremy, etc.; Hear/read here) | (Hit Parade) |
| Various artists | “NOW That’s What I Call Running 2015” (three CDs, 66 songs; Track list) | (U.K. – Now!, April 20) |
| Various artists | “Rare Pop Instrumentals of the Fifties” (31 original songs, featuring Perez Prado & His Orchestra, Les Baxter & His Orchestra, Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, The Champs, The Dick Hyman Trio, etc.; Hear/read here) | (Complete 60s) |
| Various artists | “Smash Hits 1986” (20 tracks; Track list), “Smash Hits 1987” (20 tracks; Track list), “Smash Hits 1988” (20 tracks; Track list), “Smash Hits 1989” (20 tracks; Track list) | (U.K. – Rhino, April 20) |
| Various artists | “12 Inch Dance: Indie” (three CDs, 30 remixes; Track list) | (U.K. – Rhino, April 20) |
| Jackie Wilson | “Brunswick Complete Singles Collection,” “Brunswick Complete Singles Collection 2” | (Japan – Brunswick / Ultra Vybe, April 20) |
| Zebrahead | “The Early Years: Revisited” (Vinyl) | (Rude) |
More Releases for the Week of April 21, 2015
Reissues (MP3s)
| Artist: | Title: | Label: |
| Bobby Bare | “(Margie’s At) The Lincoln Park Inn” (1969 album), “Your Husband, My Life” (1970 album, with Skeeter Davis), “Singin’ in the Kitchen” (1974 album), “Hard Time Hungrys” (1975 album), “Cowboys and Daddys” (1975 album), “The Winner and Other Losers” (1976 album) | (RCA / Legacy) |
| The B-52’s | “Live! 8-24-1979” (recorded at the Berklee Center in Boston; Hear here) | (Rhino / Warner) |
| Various artists | “Oldies Gold” (100 tracks) | (Zen La, April 23) |
| Various artists | “Sudan: Music of the Blue Nile Province – The Gumuz Tribe,” “Sudan: Music of the Blue Nile Province – The Ingessana and Berta Tribes” | (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings / Auvidis-UNESCO) |
More Digital Releases for the Week of April 21, 2015
DVD / Blu-ray
| Artist/cast: | Title: | Studio/label: |
| Jennifer Aniston | “Cake [DVD]” (2014 film; Blu-ray) | (20th Century Fox) |
| Lucinda Dickey, Adolfo Quinones, et al | “Breakin’ / Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo [Blu-ray]” (1984 films on one disc) | (Shout! Factory) |
| Terence Knox, Stephen Caffrey, et al | “Tour of Duty: The Complete Series [DVD]” (11 discs) | (Mill Creek Entertainment) |
| Liam Neeson | “Taken 3 [DVD]” (2014 film; Blu-ray) | (20th Century Fox) |
| Kurt Russell | “Escape From New York (Collector’s Edition) [Blu-ray]” (1981 film; two discs) | (Shout! Factory) |
| Ernest Thomas, Haywood Nelson, et al | “What’s Happening!! The Complete Series [DVD]” (65 episodes on six discs) | (Mill Creek Entertainment) |
| Glynn Turman, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, et al | “Cooley High [Blu-ray]” (1975 film; music by Freddie Perren) | (Olive Films) |
| Various artists | “The Family Jams [DVD]” (2014 tour documentary featuring Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom, Vetiver, etc.; with 52-page book; See here) | (Factory 25) |
| Muddy Waters and Friends | “Soundstage: Blues Summit in Chicago 1974 [DVD]” (guests: Willie Dixon, Koko Taylor, Junior Wells, Pinetop Perkins, Mike Bloomfield, Buddy Miles, Johnny Winter, Dr. John, Nick Gravenites; See here) | (Sony Legacy) |
More DVD/Blu-ray Releases for the Week of April 21, 2015
Music books
| Subject/ Author(s): | Title: | Publisher: |
| Toni Braxton | “Unbreak My Heart: A Memoir” (Paperback; Kindle) | (Dey Street Books) |
| Bill Evans | “Bluegrass Banjo For Dummies” (Paperback) | (For Dummies, April 20) |
| Tom Jones | “Tom Jones – The Life” (Hardcover; author: Sean Smith; Kindle) | (HarperCollins) |
| Brad “Scarface” Jordan | “Diary of a Madman: The Geto Boys, Life, Death, and the Roots of Southern Rap” (Hardcover; co-author: Benjamin Meadows Ingram; Kindle) | (Dey Street Books) |
| McBusted | “McBusted: The Story of the World’s Biggest Super Band” (Paperback; author: Jennifer Parker) | (Simon & Schuster, April 23) |
| Marcus Moberg | “Christian Metal: History, Ideology, Scene” (Paperback) | (Bloomsbury Academic, April 23) |
| Andy Warhol | “Andy Warhol: The Complete Commissioned Record Covers” (Hardcover; author: Paul Marechal) | (Prestel, April 25) |
More Book Releases for the Week of April 21, 2015
Now See Here:
“Don’t Wanna Fight,” Alabama Shakes