The second week of July brings another light selection of new releases. Info and links for the ones you want to know about most below, plus some other ones you may not have heard of (but should know), with audio & video for your listening and viewing pleasure. Click here to check out releases that dropped over the past few months.
Bad Cop, Light On EP (Jeffery Drag Records)
David Berkeley, The Fire in My Head (Straw Man)
Beck, “I Won’t Be Long” 12" (Self-Release)
Actual release date July 8; the "I Won't Be Long" single includes the original mix plus a 14-minute extended B-side version.
The Bullitts, They Die By Dawn & Other Short Stories (Kilburn Lane Music)
Butcher Babies, Goliath (Century Media Records)
The Candles, La Candelaria (The End Records)
Ciara, Ciara (Epic)
Congo Natty, Jungle Revolution (Big Dada)
Daughn Gibson, Me Moan (Sub Pop)
Demon Queen, Exorcise Tape (Rad Cult)
The new album from Pittsburgh-based Tobacco (Black Moth Super Rainbow) and Tucson's Zackey Force Funk, which mixes the fuzzy psychotropic experimental sounds of BMSR with ZFF's neon-hued soulful funky flavor. Exorcise Tape is likened to a psychedelic strip club: "sleazy, filthy, and violently funky. The liquor is cold, the entertainment gets low, the Pioneer speakers are broken, and the light is dim but somehow blinding." Zackey Force Funk sings in eerie falsettos and lower-register murmurs, and various rap artist lend their talents to the mix. Take a listen to "Rude Boy" featuring N8NOFACE after the jump...
The Dirty Streets, Blades Of Grass (Alive Naturalsound)
Editors, The Weight Of Your Love (PIAS Recordings)
Ensemble Economique, Fever Logic (Not Not Fun)
Felguk, Slice & Dice (Dongle Records)
Girl On Fire, Not Broken (Century Media)
Blake Hazard, The Eleanor Islands (Self Release)
The dulcet-toned Submarines songstress issues a new retro-spiced solo album. Check out the video for "Colonnade" below.
Hebronix, Unreal (ATP Recordings)
Jay-Z, Magna Carta Holy Grail (Roc Nation)
Jonathan Scales Fourchestra, Jonathan Scales Fourchestra (Ropeadope Records)
An orchestra of three despite the name suggesting otherwise. Asheville-based namesake Jonathan Scales leads on steel pans, which don’t quite lose the island hue but take on a novel polyrhythmic complexity and more varied tones in the hands of Scales and amid a jazz fusion aesthetic shaped with support from bassist Cody Wright and beat-keeper Phill Bronson. (Scales has cited Bela Fleck's nontraditional technique on banjo as influencing his approach to the pans). The trio was recently signed to Ropeadope Records and this is their self-titled debut. Listen to "Contortionist Ballet" below.
letlive, Blackest Beautiful (Epitaph)
Mekon, Piece Of Work (The End/Wall of Sound)
Midnight Juggernauts, Uncanny Valley (Record Makers)
The Mother Hips, Behind Beyond (Self-Release)
There's definitely a Grateful Dead appeal to The Mother Hips' grooving psychedelic roots rock and country blues odes, marked by guitar licks, gently roiling instrumentals and moments of unexpected melting...
Not Tonight Josephine, Common Gold EP, (self-release)
The first release featuring new vocalist Danny Garry and guitarist Scott Vallina, who join founding members Randy Ayers (drums) and Evan Foley (bass/guitar) in the brawnier, heart-felt tracks on the new EP.
The Octopus Project, Fever Forms (Peek-A-Boo Records)
Part Time, PDA (Mexican Summer)
Robert Pollard, Honey Locust Honky Tonk (GBV Inc.)
Preservation Hall Jazz Band, That’s It! (Legacy Recordings)
The first original material from the NOLA staple in its five decades of existence is produced by Jim James and Ben Jaffe. Check out the making-of video with Jim James below...
Roadkill Ghost Choir, Quiet Light EP (WolfBomb Productions)
The Orlando sextet responsible for roots rock melodies marked by pastoral prettiness re-releases their EP as they gear up to hit the road; the EP features new cover art, and the five originally-released tracks are augmented by a brand new recording, "In The Lion's Mouth." For fans of Fleet Foxes, My Morning Jacket. Video for "Bird In My Window" below.
Speedy Ortiz, Major Arcana (Carpark Records)
Tedo Stone, Good Go Bad (This Is American Music)
Thriftstore Masterpiece, Trouble Is A Lonesome Town
A revolving music collective devoted to paying homage to 'underdog records of years past. Their debut revisits Lee Hazlewood's 1963 lost classic Trouble Is A Lonesome Town and features guest spots by Pete Yorn, Frank Black, Isaac Brock, Courtney Taylor-Taylor (The Dandy Warhols), Eddie Argos (Art Brut), the late Larry Norman, and others. Check out "The Railroad" featuring Isaac below...
Thundercat, Golden Age of the Apocalypse (Brainfeeder Records)
The physical release of Thundercat's new album, issued digitally on June 3.
Trampled Under Foot, Badlands (Telarc)
Twin Peaks, Sunken (Autumn Tone)
Anna von Hausswolff, Ceremony (Other Music Recording Co.)
Whirr, Around (Graveface Records)