New stuff (CDs / vinyl)
| Artist: | Title: | Label: |
| Algiers (post-worldbeat trio) | “Algiers” (Hear here; See here; MP3; iTunes) | (Matador) |
| Armored Saint | “Win Hands Down” (producer: bassist Joey Vera; Hear here; iTunes) | (Metal Blade) |
| Barenaked Ladies | “Silverball” (producer: Gavin Brown; first single: “Matter of Time”; Hear here; MP3; iTunes) | (Vanguard) |
| KaiL Baxley | “A Light That Never Dies” (producers: Baxley, Eric Corne; first single: “Mirrors of Paradise”; Hear here; MP3; iTunes) | (Forty Below / MRI / RED) |
| Billy Currington | “Summer Forever” (guest: Jessie James Decker; first single: “Doin’ It”; Hear here; MP3; iTunes) | (Mercury Nashville) |
| The Darkness (new drummer: Emily Dolan Davies) | “Last of Our Kind” (producer: guitarist Dan Hawkins; first single: “Barbarian”; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3; iTunes) | (Canary Dwarf) |
| Dawes | “All Your Favorite Bands” (first single: “Things Happen”; See/read here; Vinyl; MP3; iTunes) | (HUB) |
| Zella Day (alt-pop singer-songwriter) | “Kicker” (first single: “Hypnotic”; Hear here; See here; MP3; iTunes) | (Pinetop / Hollywood) |
| Jason Derulo | “Everything Is 4” (first single: “Want to Want Me”; Hear here; See here; MP3; iTunes) | (Beluga Heights / Warner) |
| Eternal Summers (Virginia power trio) | “Gold and Stone” (Hear here; Read here; MP3; iTunes) | (Kanine) |
| Florence + The Machine | “How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful” (producer: Markus Dravs; first single: “What Kind of Man”; Hear here; See here; MP3; MP3 Deluxe Edition; iTunes) | (Island) |
| Friend Roulette (Brooklyn indie-rock group) | “I See You. Your Eyes Are Red.” (first single: “Stoned Alone”; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3; iTunes) | (Goodnight) |
| Melody Gardot | “Currency of Man” (producer: Larry Klein; first single: “Same to You”; Hear here; See here; MP3; iTunes) | (Verve) |
| Girlpool | “Before the World Was Big” (Hear here; See here; Vinyl; MP3; iTunes) | (Wichita Recordings) |
| Gloriana | “Three” (producer: Matt Serletic; first single: “Trouble”; Hear here; See here; MP3; iTunes) | (Emblem / Warner Bros. Nashville / Reprise) |
| The Great Dischord (Swedish quintet) | “Duende” (Hear here; MP3) | (Metal Blade) |
| Helloween | “My God-Given Right” (producer: Charlie Bauerfeind; first single: “Lost in America”; Hear here; See here; MP3; iTunes) | (Nuclear Blast) |
| HOLYCHILD | “The Shape of Brat Pop to Come” (first single: “Running Behind”; Hear here; MP3; iTunes) | (Glassnote) |
| Husky (Melbourne indie rockers) | “Ruckers Hill” (guests: frontman Husky Gawenda, keyboardist Gideon Preiss; Hear here; MP3; iTunes) | (Nevado Music) |
| Indigo Girls | “One Lost Day” (their first studio album in four years; producer: Jordan Brooke Hamlin; guests: Lex Price, Butterfly Boucher, Fred Eltringham, Chris Donohue; first single: “Happy in the Sorrow Key”; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3; iTunes) | (IG Recordings / Vanguard) |
| Jamie xx | “In Colour” (guests: Romy, Oliver Sim, Young Thug, Popcaan; new single: “Loud Places”; Hear here; See here; MP3; iTunes) | (Young Turks Recordings) |
| Jedi Mind Tricks | “The Thief and the Fallen” (first single: “Deathless Light”; Hear here; See here; MP3; iTunes) | (Enemy Soil) |
| Kid Wave | “Wonderlust” (producer: Dan Austin; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3; iTunes) | (Heavenly Recordings) |
| Ben Lee | “Love Is the Great Rebellion” (producer: Brad Wood; first single: “Big Love”; Hear here; MP3; iTunes) | (Warner) |
| Lil Durk | “Remember My Name” (guests: Jeremih, Logic; first single: “Like Me”; See here; MP3; iTunes) | (OTF / Coke Boys / Def Jam) |
| Major Lazer (Diplo’s dancehall trio) | “Peace Is the Mission” (producer: Diplo; guests: Ariana Grande, Ellie Goulding, Tarrus Riley, MØ, DJ Snake, Travi$ Scott, 2 Chainz, Pusha T, Mad Cobra, Chronixx, Wild Belle, Elliphant, Jovi Rockwell, Machel Montano; first single: “Lead On”; Hear here; See here; Read here; MP3; iTunes) | (Mad Decent, June 1) |
| Marco Minnemann | “Celebration” (producer: Scott Schorr; Hear here; See here) | (Lazy Bones Recordings, June 1) |
| Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard | “Django and Jimmie” (producer: Buddy Cannon; guests: Bobby Bare, Marla Cannon-Goodman, Ward Davis; Hear here; MP3; iTunes) | (Legacy Recordings) |
| Northern American (L.A. quartet) | “Modern Phenomena” (producer: Raymond Richards; Hear here; MP3; iTunes) | (Heist Or Hit) |
| Nozinja (aka Richard Mthetwa, a South African Shangaan electro pioneer) | “Nozinja Lodge” (first single: “Nwa Baloyi”; Hear here; MP3; iTunes) | (Warp) |
| Paradise Lost (U.K. doom metal band) | “The Plague Within” (producer: Jaime Gomez Arellano; Hear here) | (Century Media) |
| Queen Latifah and various artists | “Bessie (Music from the HBO Film)” (the biopic, starring Queen Latifah as blues legend Bessie Smith, premieres on HBO on May 16; the soundtrack includes seven Queen Latifah performances, along with historic blues and swing classics by Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Sippie Wallace, Kid Ory; See here; MP3; iTunes) | (Legacy Recordings) |
| Chris Robinson Brotherhood | “Betty’s Blend Volume Two: The Best From the West” (Hear here; Vinyl; MP3; iTunes) | (Silver Arrow) |
| Roman à Clef | “Abandonware” (first single: “Abandonware [Josh and Jer]”; Hear here; MP3; iTunes) | (Infinite Best) |
| Marvin Sapp | “You Shall Live” (Hear here; MP3; iTunes) | (RCA Inspiration) |
| Simply Red | “Big Love” (their first studio album in eight years; first single: “Shine On”; Hear here; MP3; iTunes) | (East West) |
| SOAK (18-year-old singer-songwriter Bridie Monds-Watson from Derry, Ireland) | “Before We Forgot How To Dream” (first single: “Sea Creatures”; Hear here; See here; Vinyl; MP3; iTunes) | (Rough Trade) |
| Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin | “High Country” (Hear here; Vinyl; MP3; iTunes) | (Polyvinyl) |
| Tenement | “Predatory Headlights” (double album; the band’s first release in four years; producers: Tenement, Justin Perkins; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3; iTunes) | (Don Giovanni) |
| The Tenors | “Under One Sky” (includes covers of “Tears in Heaven,” “Lean On Me” and “Who Wants to Live Forever”; Hear here; Deluxe Edition; MP3; iTunes) | (Decca) |
| Various artists | “An American in Paris: A New Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording)” (now in previews at the Palace Theatre; directed and choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon; Hear/see here; Read here; MP3; iTunes) | (Masterworks Broadway) |
| Various artists | “Entourage: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack” (big-screen version of the HBO series opens June 12; Hear here; MP3; iTunes) | (WaterTower Music) |
| Various artists | “NOW Summer Hits 2015” | (Europe – Universal Strategic, June 1) |
| Wild Yaks (Brooklyn indie-rock band) | “Rejoice! God Loves Wild Yaks” (producer: Kevin S. McMahon; first single: “Paradise”; Hear here; MP3; iTunes) | (Ernest Jenning Record Co.) |
More Releases for the Week of June 2, 2015
New stuff (MP3s)
| Artist: | Title: | Label: |
| Communions (Danish quartet) | “Communions” (five-song EP; first single: “Summer’s Oath”; Hear here; iTunes) | (Tough Love, June 1) |
| Dub Pistols | “The Return of the Pistoleros” (Hear here; Vinyl; CD; iTunes) | (Sunday Best Recordings, June 1) |
| Empire of Gold (aka Chicago-based singer-songwriter Michael Jack Dole) | “Raw EP” (five songs; Hear here) | (Empire of Gold, June 6) |
| Expert Alterations (Baltimore indie-pop trio) | “Expert Alterations” (five-song EP; first single: “A Bell”; Hear here; iTunes) | (Kanine) |
| Heyrocco (Charleston, S.C., pop-punk trio) | “Teenage Movie Soundtrack” (first single: “Elsewhere”; Hear here; See here; CD; iTunes) | (Old Flame) |
| JiHAE (South Korean-born singer-musician) | “Illusion of You” (guests: Dave Stewart, Nightmare and the Cat; Hear here; See here; iTunes) | (Septem, June 5) |
| Lull (North London quartet) | “Lull” (four-song EP; first single: “Bubble Tea”; Hear here) | (PaperCup Music) |
| Make Them Suffer (Australian six-member metal band) | “Old Souls” (producers: Jason Suecoff; Joey Sturgis, Forrester Savell, Roland Lim; first single: “Requiem”; Hear here; See here; iTunes) | (Old Flame) |
| Ola Fresca (Jose Conde’s NYC-based Latin band) | “Elixir” (producers: Conde, Andy Taub; Hear here; iTunes) | (Pipiki) |
| Porcelain Raft (aka Mauro Remiddi) | “Half Awake” (five-song EP; first single: “All In My Head”; Hear here; iTunes) | (Volcanic Field) |
| Ravi Shavi (garage-pop quartet) | “Ravi Shavi” (new single: “Indecisions”; Hear here) | (Almost Ready) |
| Violent Femmes | “Happy New Year” (four-song EP; Hear here) | (Add It Up Productions) |
| WAVE & ROME (Nashville alt-rock band) | “Across the Map” (five-song EP; producer: Matt Bronleewe; Hear here; iTunes) | (Unsecret Music) |
| Young Brother (aka Nashville-based singer Dalton Diehl) | “Kamikaze” (four-song EP; producers: Dustin Burnett, Ruslan Odnoralov; first single: “Kamikaze”; Hear here; iTunes) | (YoBro) |
More Digital Releases for the Week of June 2, 2015
Reissues (CDs / vinyl)
| Artist: | Title: | Label: |
| Acker Bilk | “The Very Best of Acker Bilk” (two CDs, 50 songs) | (One Day Music) |
| Andrea Bocelli | “ICON” (budget-priced best-of) | (Decca) |
| Black Oak Arkansas | “The Complete Raunch ‘N’ Roll Live” (1973 album; two CDs; remastered, with 17 bonus tracks; Hear here; iTunes) | (Real Gone Music) |
| Joe Cocker | “With a Little Help From My Friends [Hybrid SACD]” (1969 album; remastered) | (Audio Fidelity) |
| Jim Croce | “The Definitive Croce” (two CDs, 34 songs; Track list) | (U.K. – Music Club Deluxe, June 1) |
| Fatboy Slim | “Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars: 15th Anniversary” (2000 album; with a second CD containing 11 remixes; See here; Vinyl) | (Skint) |
| Robin Gibb | “Saved By the Bell: The Collected Works of Robin Gibb 1969-1970” (three CDs, 63 songs; Read here; MP3; iTunes) | (Rhino) |
| Girlschool | “The Collection” (two CDs; iTunes) | (Sanctuary / Fontana) |
| Grateful Dead | “Dick’s Picks Volume Six – Hartford Civic Center 10/14/83,” “Dick’s Picks Volume Seven – Alexandra Palace, London, England 9/9-9/11/74” | (Real Gone Music) |
| Iron Butterfly | “Ball (Expanded Edition)” (1969 album; remastered, with two bonus tracks) | (Real Gone Music) |
| Jack Ü | “Skrillex & Diplo Present Jack Ü” (released digitally in April 2015; guests: Justin Bieber, Kiesza, 2 Chainz, AlunaGeorge, Bunji Garlin, Snails, Tarantula, Kai, Fly Boi Keno; MP3; iTunes) | (OWSLA / Mad Decent / Atlantic) |
| The Kentucky Headhunters with Johnnie Johnson | “Meet Me in Bluesland” (unreleased recordings from 2003; Hear here; MP3; iTunes) | (Alligator) |
| Little Richard | “Directly From My Heart: The Best of the Specialty & Vee-Jay Years” (three-CD, 64-song box set, with a 30-plus-page illustrated booklet) | (Fantasy) |
| Public Image Ltd. | “Rise: The Collection” (16 tracks) | (U.K. – Virgin, June 1) |
| Warren Storm | “The Bad Times Make the Good Times: Classic Texas Recordings 1964-1986” (two CDs, 44 songs; Read here) | (U.K. – Ace, June 1) |
| 3 Doors Down | “ICON: The Greatest Hits” | (Republic / UMe) |
| Various artists | “Great British Instrumentals of the ’50s & ’60s” (three CDs, 60 songs; Track list) | (U.K. – One Day Music, June 1) |
| Various artists | “Keep a Hold On Him! More Garpax Girls” (24 tracks; Read here) | (U.K. – Ace, June 1) |
| Various artists | “Pied Piper: Follow Your Soul” (24 tracks; Read here) | (U.K. – Kent / Ace, June 1) |
| Various artists | “Second Helpings: Sequels to the Songs That Left ‘Em Hungry For More!” (24 tracks; Read here) | (U.K. – Ace, June 1) |
| Paul Williams | “A Little on the Windy Side (Expanded Edition)” (1979 album; remastered, with four bonus tracks; Hear here) | (Real Gone Music) |
| Young Jessie | “Hit, Git & Split [Vinyl]” (pressed on 180-gram red vinyl; Read here) | (U.K. – Ace, June 1) |
More Releases for the Week of June 2, 2015
Reissues (MP3s)
| Artist: | Title: | Label: |
| Carl Anderson | “Protocol (Expanded Edition)” (1985 album, with two bonus tracks) | (Epic / Legacy) |
| The Brecker Brothers | “The Essential Brecker Brothers” (26 tracks) | (Arista / Legacy) |
| Stanley Clarke | “The Essential Stanley Clarke” (26 tracks) | (Epic / Legacy) |
| Perry Como | “The Scene Changes” (1965 album), “Lightly Latin” (1966 album) | (RCA / Legacy) |
| Lacy J. Dalton | “Lacy J. Dalton” (1980 album), “Highway Diner” (1986 album), “Blue Eyed Blues” (1987 album) | (Columbia Nashville / Legacy) |
| Skeeter Davis | “Written by the Stars” (1965 album), “Skeeter Sings Standards” (1965 album) | (RCA / Legacy) |
| Dexter Gordon | “The Essential Dexter Gordon: The Columbia Years” (16 tracks) | (Columbia / Legacy) |
| Lorne Greene | “The Man” (1965 album) | (RCA / Legacy) |
| Al Hirt | “Al Hirt Live at Carnegie Hall” (1965 album), “The Sound of Christmas” (1965 album) | (RCA / Legacy) |
| Henry Mancini | “Dear Heart and Other Songs About Love” (1965 album) | (RCA / Legacy) |
| John Mayall with Eric Clapton | “Blues Breakers” (1966 album, featuring mono and stereo versions of all 12 songs) | (Decca / UMe) |
| The New Birth | “The New Birth” (1971 album), “Birth Day” (1972 album), “It’s Been a Long Time” (1973 album) | (RCA / Legacy) |
| Billy Joe Royal | “Down in the Boondocks” (1965 album), “Cherry Hill Park” (1969 album) | (Columbia / Legacy) |
| Mongo Santamaría | “La Bamba” (1965 album), “El Pussy Cat” (1965 album) | (Columbia / Legacy) |
| Carl Smith | “I Want to Live and Love” (1965 album) | (Columbia / Legacy) |
| Ted Taylor | “Blues & Soul” (1965 album) | (OKeh / Legacy) |
| Stanley Turrentine | “The Essential Stanley Turrentine – The CTI Years” (20 tracks) | (Epic / Legacy) |
| Various artists | “Portugal: Festas in Minho,” “Portugal: Music and Dance from Madeira” | (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings) |
| V.S.O.P. / The Quintet | “The Essential V.S.O.P. / The Quintet” (17 songs) | (Columbia / Legacy) |
More Digital Releases for the Week of June 2, 2015
DVD / Blu-ray
| Artist/cast: | Title: | Label/studio: |
| Troian Bellisario, Ashley Benson, Lucy Hale, et al | “Pretty Little Liars: The Complete Fifth Season [DVD]” (six discs) | (Warner Home Video) |
| Dick Clark, Tuesday Weld, et al | “Because They’re Young: 55th Anniversary [DVD]” (1960 film, featuring performances by James Darren and Duane Eddy and the Rebels) | (Mill Creek Entertainment) |
| Kevin Costner, Rafael Martinez, et al | “McFarland USA [DVD]” (2015 film; Blu-ray; iTunes) | (Walt Disney) |
| Billy Crystal, Katherine Helmond, Robert Guillaume, et al | “Soap: The Complete Series [DVD]” (90 episodes on eight discs) | (Mill Creek Entertainment) |
| Ensemble cast | “The L Word: The Complete Series [DVD]” (24 discs) | (Showtime) |
| Jackie Evancho | “Awakening: Live in Concert [DVD]” (filmed for a PBS special) | (Sony Masterworks) |
| Angie Harmon, Sasha Alexander | “Rizzoli & Isles: The Complete Fifth Season [DVD]” (three discs) | (Warner Home Video) |
| Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, et al | “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water [DVD]” (2015 film; Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + DVD; iTunes) | (Paramount) |
| Paul Muni, Merle Oberon | “A Song To Remember: 70th Anniversary [DVD]” (1945 film) | (Mill Creek Entertainment) |
| Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, Chris Pratt, et al | “Parks and Recreation: The Complete Series [DVD]” (20 discs) | (Universal Studios) |
| R.E.M. | “R.E.M. By MTV [DVD]” (111-minute documentary, with deleted scenes; Blu-ray) | (Rhino) |
| Will Smith, Margot Robbie, et al | “Focus [DVD]” (2015 film; Blu-ray + DVD; iTunes) | (Warner Home Video) |
| Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis, et al | “Jupiter Ascending [DVD]” (2015 film; Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + DVD ; iTunes) | (Warner Home Video) |
| Renée Taylor, Joseph Bologna, et al | “Made For Each Other [DVD]” (1971 film) | (20th Century Fox) |
| John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, et al | “Rio Bravo [Blu-ray]” (1959 film, produced and directed by Howard Hawks) | (Warner Home Video) |
More DVD/Blu-ray Releases for the Week of June 2, 2015
Music books
More Book Releases for the Week of June 2, 2015