July 15th New Releases
July 14, 2008
Nas - Untitled
On this, his 9th studio album, Nas studies and lyrically dissects some of the our most divisive issues: race, inequality, poverty, and power. And who better to stir up debate than the man most consider one of the top five emcees in the history of the game?
The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
On the Hold Steady's fourth studio album, enough of the band's trademarks are in place to suggest cohesion and consistency--the beery, unapologetically classic-rock emotionalism, the crunchy riffage and ascending hooks, the angsty poetry of the lyrics. At the same time, an unprecedented intensity and new enthusiasm for sonic exploration (aided by Jim Agnello's expansive production) stave off any hint that the band was headed for a rut.
Longtime listeners will relish the many moments when the STAY POSITIVE veers off formula. And veer it does. "One for the Cutters" waltzes blearily between acid jazz and stately prog, with a haunting harpsichord motif. The lilting, rootsy ballad "Lord, I'm Discouraged," finds Craig Finn all but abandoning his usual sing-speak style for something more subtle. "Navy Sheets," possibly the heaviest thing the group has recorded, snarls in both senses of the word, with a labyrinthine melody and Finn's palpably disgusted vocal. The pounding new wave heraldry of the title song is the kind of thing that earned Graham Parker and Tom Robinson the "angry young man" tag 30 years ago. That the Hold Steady can breathe new life into that template is a testament to their biggest strength: the ability to maintain a forward-looking stance while acknowledging the influences of the past, and holding steady in the middle.
Daedelus - Love to Make Music To
The Worlds Fair to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Columbus discovery of America opens. In the entourage of one Nikola Tesla, the renegade pioneer of modern electricity, travels Alfred Darlington, a young inventor from Los Angeles. On the second day of the fair, Darlington is electrocuted in a terrible accident, pronounced dead, and taken to the morgue. Two days later, an attendant finds the young Darlington not only alive and well but babbling about future worlds he has visited and asking that everyone now calls him Daedelus. Tesla, relieved and embarrassed by the accident, allows him the run of his workshops. Over the next six months he builds strange instruments, and on the very last night of the Fair presents the Love To Make Music To Symphony, which, he claims, is the sound he heard in the future.
Wire - Object 47
Object 47 (the 47th object in their discography) is nonetheless only Wires eleventh studio album. It is the second product of an arc of work that began in 2006 and has so far yielded the rather well-received EP Read And Burn 03 (from which no tracks appear on Object 47), and stands as a confident statement of where Wire is in 2008--as ever, looking forward! While retaining Wires idiosyncratic mix of an avant-garde mindset with classic pop timing, this album boasts tunes with zoom, a unique formula that somehow manages to sound wholly Wire (in a classic sense) and wholly contemporary.
Animal Farm - Unknown
Animal Farm is one of the hottest groups to burst upon the northwest hip-hop scene. The Unknown is a perfect example of Animal Farm's high energy, true school hip-hop sound, which combines Gen.Erik's soulful, banging beats with impressive lyricism from four MCs (Hanif Wondir, Gen.Erik, Kwils, Fury). Guests include the legendary KRS-One and Nightclubber Lang from Boom Bap Project (Rhymesayers). Animal Farm was named Eugene Weekly's best hip-hop group in both 2006 and 2007. "Portland shines yet again with GenErik on soulful, retro-sounding production and a crew of MCs, including a guest spot from KRS-One. Lovely!" -XLR8R Magazine
Azeem - Show Business
New album from this Oakland MC. Features production by The Architech, Paul Nice, DJ Design, etc.
I Rise - Songs for Redemption
One of the most anticipated LP's of the summer for the new crop of Massachusetts hardcore bands, I Rise (comprised of former members of Youth Attack, and current members of Ambitions) brings us Songs for Redemption - a record that builds on their hard-hitting, mid-tempo sound that's blended with charged lyrics - a style that is reminiscent of some mid/late-90's bands - but with a their own, brand new flavor.
Opio - Vulture's Wisdom
Opio is a member of Souls of Mischief whose past works have been deemed hip hop classics. This is his second solo album and it includes a bonus DVD.
Newly available on vinyl:
Metallica - Master of Puppets (standard and delux 2LP)
Celebrating the 25th anniversary of "Kill 'Em All," the debut album from Metallica - and in anticipation of the band's ninth solo album later this year - Warner Bros. Records, under direct supervision from the band, are reissuing their early albums in vinyl. Ranked eighth on the list of the biggest selling groups in history, and one of the most influential bands in music, Metallica proved its mettle with these groundbreaking albums.
The Deluxe vinyl package features two 45 rpm 180g vinyl discs pressed at RTI in Stoughton gatefold jacket with universal “Louder Faster Heavier” branded bellyband. The pressing was half-speed mastered from the original analog tapes at Mobile Fidelity for the ultimate audiophile listening experience.
A Storm of Light - And We Wept the Black Ocean Within
A Storm of Light's debut, AND WE WEPT THE BLACK OCEAN WITHIN, can be best described as monolithic, Celtic Frost-ian doom. The atmosphere created by this sonic tidal wave is nothing short of monstrous. Composed of melancholic guitar riffing, barbaric percussion, and primal vocals, AND WE WEPT THE BLACK OCEAN WITHIN is more of an apocalyptic hymnal than a metal album, sludgy doom at its most severe.
A Storm of Light is the eponymous debut album by the new Brooklyn, NY band featuring Josh Graham, Neurosis visual director and former member of Red Sparowes and Battle of Mice. The esteemed guitarist/vocalist is joined on this recording by bassist/vocalist Domenic Seita (ex-Tombs, ex-Asea) and drummer Pete Angevine of Satanized. Since then, rhythmic pugilist extraordinaire Vinny Signorelli (Unsane, ex-Swans) signed on as second drummer. As one would guess by the pedigree, A Storm of Light is brutally hard-hitting.
Jay Reatard - Singles '06-07
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