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More tantalizing new releases in the third week of January, 2014. 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.
Aer, Aer (Self-Release)
Against Me!, Transgender Dysphoria Blues (Total Trebel)
Florida-bred punk rock staple Against Me! has experienced some rather significant growing pains in the past two years. The lead singer, songwriter and guitarist formerly known as Tom Gabel came out as a transgender and dropped his given name and pronoun in favor of her current one, Laura Jane Grace; and two members left to pursue other projects, including longtime bassist Andrew Seward. The material on sixth studio album Transgender Dysphoria Blues draws heavily from Grace’s experiences with the titular condition in songs that touch on the death of a friend, unconditional love, and self-acceptance among other topics. Check out the title track after the jump along with the rest of this week's new releases...
Brent Amaker and the Rodeo, Country Sky EP (Fin Records)
Bad Things, Bad Things (Warner Bros.)
The Beatles, The U.S. Albums Box Set (Capitol Records)
The Black and White Years, Strange Figurines (Fool's Gold)
Blue Highway, The Game (Rounder)
Tommy Castro and the Painkillers, The Devil You Know (Alligator Records)
Connections, Year One (Anyway)
Crushed Stars, Farewell Young Lovers (Simulacra Records)
An album of 90s-evocative indie pop recorded with Grammy-winning producer Stuart Sikes (White Stripes, Modest Mouse, Cat Power), with the majority of instrumentation handled by band visionary Todd Gautreau as joined by drummer Jeff Ryan (War on Drugs). Listen to "Flowerbomb" below; full album streaming at American Songwriter.
Dog Bite, Tranquilizers (Carpark Records)
Nir Felder, Golden Age (OKeh)
Damon Fowler, Sounds of Home (Bling Pig Records)
John Hammond, Timeless (Palmetto Records)
Hard Working Americans, Hard Working Americans (Melvin Records/Thirty Tigers)
Heavy Metal Anthem, Say Tonight EP ()
A buzzing Los Angeles-based band formed by former Mighty Six Ninety former Rich Michalowski and Adam Merrin of The 88. Check out the sweetly poignant track "Into My Arms" below.
The Hidden Cameras, Age (Evil Evil/Outside Music)
I Break Horses, Chiaroscuro (Bella Union / PIAS)
Jack Name, Light Show (Drag City)
Damien Jurado, Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son (Secretly Canadian)
I dig this album. Read why here.
The John Lurie National Orchestra, The Invention of Animals (Amulet Records).
An archival jazz compilation that assembles seven previously unreleased live and out-of-print studio recordings from the early 1990s by the Lounge Lizards' Lurie as joined by legendary drummers/percussionists Billy Martin (Medeski Martin & Wood) and G. Calvin Weston (Lounge Lizards); the release is issued on Martin's own label.
Los Lonely Boys, Revelation (Lonely Tone/Playing In Traffic)
Mode Moderne, Occult Delight (Light Organ Records)
Monte Pittman, The Power of Three (Metal Blade Records)
Nashville Pussy, Up the Dosage (SPV/Steamhammer)
Northcote, Northcote (Black Numbers)
Pro-Pain, The Final Revolution (Steamhammer / SPV)
Mogwai, Rave Tapes (Sub Pop)
The seminal Scottish quintet with the fine loud-yet-atmospheric instrumentals songs their eighth studio album and first since 2011's Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will.
Reverend Horton Heat, Rev (Victory)
The 11th full-length outing from the beloved psychobilly band; video for "Let Me Teach You How To Eat" below.
Shy Boys, Shy Boys (High Dive Records)
A lo-fi surf-y indie pop rock debut from a new Kansas City trio. Listen to "Bully Fight" below.
together PANGEA, Badillac (Harvest/Capitol)
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra, Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light On Everything (Constellation Records)
Various Artists, Killed By Deathrock Vol. 1 (Sacred Bones)
A compilation of little-heard post-punk, deathrock and dark punk tracks as hand-picked Sacred Bones Records founder Caleb Braaten. Bands from all over the world are repped on the comp, including Scots in Twisted Nerve, Move from Italy, Your Funeral, Glorious Din, The Naked and the Dead, Afterimage, and Screaming for Emily.
Vex, Sanctuary: The Complete Discography (Sacred Bones)
Throwdown, Intolerance (eOne)
Warpaint, Warpaint (Rough Trade)
Wild Cub, Youth (Mom + Pop)
*Young the Giant, Mind Over Matter (Fueled By Ramen)
The much-anticipated sophomore full-length from SoCal alt rock outfit Young The Giant, which has worked its way onto mainstream radio and lead single “It’s About Time” off Mind Over Matter has climbed to No. 7 on the Alternative Songs charts. Music video below directed by acclaimed visual artist David Vincent Wolf.