New Releases
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June 28, 2019The Black Keys' ninth studio album, "Let's Rock" is a return to the straightforward rock of the singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney's early days as a band. "When we're together we are The Black Keys, that's where that real magic is," says Auerbach, "and always has been since we were sixteen." "The record is like an homage to electric guitar," says Carney. "We took a simple approach and trimmed all the fat like we used to." Pre-order to download the tracks "Go," "Eagle Birds," and "Lo/Hi" now.
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The Black Keys' ninth studio album, "Let's Rock" is a return to the straightforward rock of the singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney's early days as a band. "When we're together we are The Black Keys, that's where that real magic is," says Auerbach, "and always has been since we were sixteen." "The record is like an homage to electric guitar," says Carney. "We took a simple approach and trimmed all the fat like we used to." Pre-order to download the tracks "Go," "Eagle Birds," and "Lo/Hi" now.
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Dawnbreaker is the debut album from Daughter of Swords, the solo project of Mountain Man's Alexandra Sauser-Monnig. These ten songs, inspired by a breakup that had yet to happen, lament the inevitable loss but, more important, outline the promise of the future. Working with Sylvan Esso's Nick Sanborn, Sauser-Monnig shaped what began as quiet reflections into confident compositions, crackling with country swagger and a sparkling pop warmth, preemptive odes to the next phase of life. Guests include Mountain Man's Amelia Meath and Molly Sarlé, bandleader Phil Cook, and guitarist Ryan Gustafson. Pre-order to download the title track and "Gem" now and get an exclusive, limited-edition print created and signed by Sauser-Monnig.
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Composer-performer Daniel Wohl’s album État features electro-acoustic pieces written by Wohl, with guest performances by Poliça’s Channy Leaneagh and co-production by Son Lux’s Ryan Lott and mmph. État, recorded with members of yMusic and the Calder Quartet, explores new dimensions of production. "While being fascinated with classically notated acoustic composition," says Wohl, "I also became interested in all the music production tools currently available and was drawn towards combining both methods." Pre-order to download the track "Melt" now.
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Brad Mehldau’s Finding Gabriel includes nine thematically related songs by Mehldau and features performances by him on piano, synthesizers, percussion, and Fender Rhodes, as well as vocals. Guest musicians include Ambrose Akinmusire, Sara Caswell, Kurt Elling, Joel Frahm, Mark Guiliana, Gabriel Kahane, and Becca Stevens, among others. "A soundtrack for our times," says the AP. "[T]he intricate arrangements of wordless vocals are fascinating, and among the singers is Mehldau, who happens to have a lovely voice. Fetching melodies abound ..."
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Rhiannon Giddens’s album there is no Other, recorded with the multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi, was produced by Joe Henry and tracked over five days in Dublin. The album is at once a condemnation of “othering” and a celebration of the spread of ideas, connectivity, and shared experience. "This is acoustic roots music at its most glorious," exclaims Uncut, "and Giddens is fast becoming the genre’s brightest star in the firmament." The double-vinyl edition, with four additional track, expanded liner notes, and photos from the recording session, due Septemer 13, is available to pre-order with an exclusive, limited-edition, autographed print.
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On composer William Brittelle’s album Spiritual America, indie rock duo Wye Oak, Brooklyn Youth Chorus, and the Metropolis Ensemble perform a genre-defying electro-acoustic song cycle written by Brittelle, plus a Wye Oak piece re-imagined by Brittelle. On the album, Brittelle works to reconcile his youth in a conservative Christian household with his adult life as an "agnostic Buddhist." The project began when he endured a family crisis and instinctively found himself praying to God.
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On Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Caroline Shaw's album Orange, Attacca Quartet performs six of her pieces for string quartet. "Completely gorgeous in so many ways," exclaims BBC Radio 3. "It hits you everywhere, all at once." "A love letter to the string quartet," says NPR. "[W]hen you hear all the imaginative sounds on Orange, you know you're listening to the voice of a strong composer."
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The third in a series of musical installments from singer Mandy Patinkin and pianist/producer Thomas Bartlett, Diary: December 2018 was recorded by the two musicians in Bartlett's NYC studio. The eleven tracks of this Diary entry include two songs written by Patinkin himself plus songs by Paul Simon, Stephin Merritt (The Magnetic Fields), Randy Newman, Biff Rose, Teitur, and John Grant.