Releases from May–June 2019

Great albums from around the world

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Releases for 28 June 2019

As we approach the height of summer and the release schedule slows, we’ve distilled our recommendations for 28 June down to 4, with each taken from a different genre. Kylie belongs to that elite group of pop stars who need just the one name to be recognised. Now with decades of hits under her belt, she brings together some of her greatest hits on Step Back In Time: The Definitive Collection. The Balance is the latest release from South African jazz maestro Abdullah Ibrahim, whom Nelson Mandela called ‘our Mozart’, and what more recommendation could you need than that? Est’d 1969 is the perfect way to mark the 50th anniversary of folk legends Steeleye Span – a collection of songs that perfectly captures not only the band’s history but is undoubtedly a modern Steeleye Span record, and one that is more than worthy of a place in their esteemed canon.

Our release of the week is Let’s Rock, the ninth studio album from The Black Keys, which sees the band return to their early days: lean as you like with no waste at all, this is blues-rock at its finest. “The record is like a homage to electric guitar,” says Carney. “We took a simple approach and trimmed all the fat like we used to.”

- The Black Keys Let’s Rock
The Black Keys’ ninth studio album, Let’s Rock, was written, recorded live and produced by duo Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney at Easy Eye Sound studio in Nashville. This release sees the band return to their early days: lean as you like with no waste at all, this is blues-rock at its finest. “The record is like a homage to electric guitar,” says Carney. “We took a simple approach and trimmed all the fat like we used to.”

- Kylie Step Back In Time: The Definitive Collection
Kylie belongs to that elite group of pop stars who need just the one name to be recognised. Now with decades of hits under her belt, she brings together some of her greatest hits. Step Back In Time: The Definitive Collection features seven UK number 1s, including the million-selling ‘Can’t Get You Out of My Head’.

- Abdullah Ibrahim The Balance
The Balance is the latest release from one of South Africa’s most revered musicians, Abdullah Ibrahim. Ibrahim’s music has come to represent peace – he even performed at Nelson Mandela’s inauguration, where Madiba himself referred to him as ‘our Mozart’. And what more recommendation could you need than that?

- Steeleye Span Est’d 1969
Est’d 1969 is the perfect way to mark the 50th anniversary of folk legends Steeleye Span – a collection of songs that perfectly captures not only the band’s history but also the spirit of the 2019 model. With all seven members contributing to the process, the album draws fresh inspiration from their template of traditional songs and consummate musicianship. At turns emotional, raucous and upbeat, it reflects the personalities and experience of all involved. Unavoidably there are throwbacks to the past, but this is undoubtedly a modern Steeleye Span record and one that is more than worthy of a place in their esteemed canon.

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Releases for 21 June 2019

21 June’s hot six starts with Originals, a collection of songwriting genius Prince’s own previously unheard versions of the classic songs he wrote for other artists, from ‘Manic Monday’ through to ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’. Instead of taking things easy, 86-year-old Willie Nelson releases Ride Me Back Home, a mix of covers and originals that was inspired in part by the herd of horses at his ranch. A Bath Full of Ecstasy is a fresh, invigorating and essential new chapter in Hot Chip’s career, a celebration of joy that recognises the struggle it can take to reach real happiness. London-based Black Midi have a dynamic energy, constantly in a state of flux and development, and recorded Schlagenheim in just five days. As anyone who’s been lucky enough to catch them live over recent months will testify, Black Midi’s songs are slippery creatures. Late Night Feelings is the new album from multi Grammy- and Oscar-winning super-producer Mark Ronson, and features guest appearances from Miley Cyrus, Lykke Li, Camila Cabello, Alicia Keys, King Princess and others.

Our album of the week is Help Us Stranger, on which the mighty The Raconteurs reassemble for the first since 2008, stronger and perhaps even more vital than ever before, blending prodigious riffs, blues power, sinewy psychedelia, Detroit funk and Nashville soul.

- The Raconteurs Help Us Stranger
Help Us Stranger is the third studio album from The Raconteurs, their first since 2008’s Consolers Of The Lonely. The mighty combo reassemble, stronger and perhaps even more vital than ever before, as they continue to push rock’n’roll forward into its future, blending prodigious riffs, blues power, sinewy psychedelia, Detroit funk and Nashville soul.

- Prince Originals
Originals, the latest archive release from Prince, presents his own versions of the songs he wrote for other artists. From ‘Manic Monday’ through to ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’, this collection of previously unreleased recordings demonstrates again, as if there’s anyone who would doubt it, the songwriting genius that was Prince Rogers Nelson.
The deluxe LP comes on purple vinyl, and is limited to an initial run only.

- Willie Nelson Ride Me Back Home
Having recently celebrated his 86th(!) birthday, Willie Nelson could be forgiven for taking it easy. Instead he releases Ride Me Back Home, a mix of covers and originals that was inspired in part by the herd of horses at his ranch. This album is the conclusion to the loose trilogy of which God’s Problem Child and Last Man Standing were the first two parts.

- Hot Chip A Bath Full Of Ecstasy
A Bath Full of Ecstasy is a fresh, invigorating and essential new chapter in Hot Chip’s career, taking in a huge breadth of influence and melody as only Hot Chip can. This is the first time the band have chosen to use outside producers from the outset. The record is a celebration of joy but recognises the struggle it can take to get to that point of happiness. You can hear the pleasure Hot Chip had in creating this album and they want to pass on that feeling to the listener. It is time to get lost in A Bath Full of Ecstasy.
Note: the LP is a special indies-only version.

- Black Midi Schlagenheim
Black Midi – Georgie Greep (vocals/guitar), Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin (vocals/guitar), Cameron Picton (vocals/bass), and Morgan Simpson (drums) – have a dynamic energy, playing as a musical unit that’s constantly in a state of flux and development. Schlagenheim was recorded in just five days in a process of refining and rebuilding tracks around the initial structures. Five-hour jams would sometimes yield a riff that then became just a few bars of a song. As anyone who’s been lucky enough to catch them live over recent months will testify, Black Midi’s songs are slippery creatures.

- Mark Ronson Late Night Feelings
Late Night Feelings is the brand-new album from multi Grammy- and Oscar-winning super-producer Mark Ronson. The album features the global hit single ‘Nothing Breaks Like A Heart’ (feat. Miley Cyrus) and current single ‘Late Night Feelings’ (feat. Lykke Li) as well as guest appearances from the likes of Camila Cabello, Alicia Keys, King Princess, and more. Late Night Feelings is the follow-up to 2015’s Uptown Special, the #1 album that brought us the worldwide smash ‘Uptown Funk’ (feat. Bruno Mars).

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Releases for 14 June 2019

Our six of the best for 14 June start with Doom Days, the grippingly confident third album from Bastille – a record of hope for turbulent times that takes the listener on a big night out in search of distraction from the surrounding apocalypse. Calexico and Iron & Wine first made an artistic connection in 2005, and the shared experience of touring together cemented a bond that they recast on Years To Burn, their first full-length collaboration. Foo Fighters guitarist and country music nut Chris Shiflett brings us Hard Lessons, an album of hard-rockin’ honky-tonk country music in the finest traditions of the Bakersfield sound. The Book Of Traps And Lessons is the third studio album from acclaimed British poet and rapper Kate Tempest, who has redefined what it means to be a wordsmith in this age, rhyming with a century-turning fury. False Alarm finds Two Door Cinema Club gloriously unshackled and creatively at the peak of their game, incorporating future pop, disco, rock, funk and soul in a wonderfully off-kilter pop record.

The Boss is back! Our album of the week is Western Stars, the first new studio album from in five years from Bruce Springsteen, who says: “This record is a return to my solo recordings featuring character-driven songs and sweeping, cinematic orchestral arrangements. It’s a jewel box of a record.” What more could you possibly want?

- Bruce Springsteen Western Stars
The Boss is back! Bruce Springsteen’s first new studio album in five years, Western Stars, takes his music to a new place, drawing inspiration in part from the Southern California pop records of the late ’60s and early ’70s. The album was recorded primarily at Springsteen’s home studio in New Jersey, with additional recording in California and New York.
“This record is a return to my solo recordings featuring character-driven songs and sweeping, cinematic orchestral arrangements,” says Springsteen. “It’s a jewel box of a record.”
The 13 tracks of Western Stars encompass a sweeping range of American themes, of highways and desert spaces, of isolation and community and the permanence of home and hope.

- Bastille Doom Days
Doom Days is the grippingly confident third album from Bastille. This is a record of hope for turbulent times that sees the Grammy-nominated, Brit-winning four-piece stretch out and open up like never before. Doom Days marks something of a shift in perception from its widely acclaimed No.1 predecessor, Wild World, which confronted the world and the actions of those in power. Recorded throughout 2018 at the band’s South London studio, the new album captures the need to temporarily switch off and escape whilst taking the listener on a big night out in search of distraction from the surrounding apocalypse!

- Calexico / Iron & Wine Years To Burn
Calexico and Iron & Wine first made an artistic connection with In The Reins, the 2005 EP that brought Joey Burns and John Convertino together with Sam Beam. The acclaimed collaboration introduced both acts to wider audiences and broadened Beam’s artistic horizons, but it was the shared experience of touring together in the tradition of Bob Dylan’s ‘Rolling Thunder Revue’ that cemented the bond. Their metaphorical roads diverged in the years that followed, but they kept in touch and cross-pollinated where they could. Years To Burn, their first full-length collaboration, is the result.

- Chris Shiflett Hard Lessons
Foo Fighters guitarist, host of the ‘Walking the Floor’ podcast and country music nut Chris Shiflett releases his fourth solo album, Hard Lessons. Following on from his solo country album West Coast Town, Shiflett has teamed up once again with Nashville super-producer Dave Cobb to produce an album of hard-rockin’ honky-tonk country music in the finest traditions of the Bakersfield sound.

- Kate Tempest The Book Of Traps And Lessons
Kate Tempest returns with her third studio album, The Book Of Traps And Lessons. This highly anticipated album was crafted with Rick Rubin and Dan Carey over the course of the past five years. It follows Tempest’s previous releases, 2014’s Everybody Down and 2017’s Let Them Eat Chaos, both of which were shortlisted for the Mercury Prize.
You haven’t ever seen, heard, or experienced anyone quite like Kate Tempest. The London-born spoken-word artist, rapper, poet, novelist, and playwright uncovers the missing link between the golden ages of literature and hip-hop. Since her emergence in 2011, Tempest has redefined what it means to be a wordsmith in this age, rhyming with a century-turning fury.

- Two Door Cinema Club False Alarm
Two Door Cinema Club’s fourth studio album, False Alarm, finds the three-piece gloriously unshackled and creatively at the peak of their game. Incorporating future pop, disco, rock, funk and soul, False Alarm wryly scans and satirises the social and environmental woes of 2019 through the prism of wonderfully off-kilter pop.

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Releases for 7 June 2019

7 June’s carefully selected lovelies start with – barely believably – The Divine Comedy’s 23th album, Office Politics, which features synthesisers, but also guitars, orchestras, accordions, and songs about love and greed; and, as ever, Neil Hannon wanders off into odd territories.Kicks is an eclectic album of cover songs – from jazz standards to rock classics – sung by Rickie Lee Jones over fresh, modern arrangements and instrumentation. Neil Young delves once again into his archive to spotlight a concert he played with the Stray Gators at the University of Alabama on 5 February 1973, entitled simply Tuscaloosa: “For me, it’s edgy, those mellow songs with an edge, it had such a great attitude to it. I just loved the whole night.” Taller is the eighth studio album from much-respected British musician and songwriter Jamie Cullum, on which he takes a striking new direction, revealing a powerful and intimate vulnerability with all the passion and intrigue you would expect from a debut record. Guitar virtuoso Peter Frampton voyages into a new genre with All Blues, playing blues numbers live in the studio with the Peter Frampton Band, resulting in a completely different energy from tracks built in the studio one instrument at a time.

Our album of the week is Africa Speaks, the new energy-infused album from Santana, inspired by the melodies, sounds and rhythms of that continent, which features the soulful vocals of Afro-Latin singer Buika. Santana and his eight-piece band spent a joyous and stimulating ten days at legendary producer Rick Rubin’s Shangri La Studios in Malibu to create a truly memorable and powerful experience that also promises to be one of his most groundbreaking albums yet.

- Santana Africa Speaks
Africa Speaks is the new energy-infused album from music legend Santana, and features the soulful vocals of Afro-Latin singer Buika. Santana and his eight-piece band (including his wife, Cindy Blackman Santana, on drums), convened at legendary producer Rick Rubin’s Shangri La Studios in Malibu. In a joyous and stimulating 10-day period they recorded an astonishing number of tracks, many of them in one take. Inspired by the melodies, sounds and rhythms of Africa, Santana has created a truly memorable and powerful experience that also promises to be one of his most groundbreaking albums yet.

- The Divine Comedy Office Politics
Office Politics is, barely believably, The Divine Comedy’s 23th album. Main man Neil Hannon says of this follow-up to 2016’s mighty fine Foreverland: “It has synthesisers, and songs about synthesisers, but don’t panic, it also has guitars, orchestras, accordions, and songs about love and greed. I do try to make normal records, but it always seems to wander off into odd territories.”

- Rickie Lee Jones Kicks
Rickie Lee Jones releases Kicks, an eclectic album of ten cover songs – from ‘Mack The Knife’, written in 1928 for a German musical that became a jazz standard, to ‘Bad Company’ the eponymous theme song of the British rock band written in 1974. The arrangement and instrumentation provides a fresh and modern sonic infusion to every song. Rickie Lee Jones skyrocketed to fame in 1979 when, as a barely known artist, she appeared on Saturday Night Live, performing her biggest hit ‘Chuck E’s In Love’ in her trademark red beret.

- Neil Young & Stray Gators Tuscaloosa
The next chapter of Neil Young’s ongoing archival series spotlights a concert he played with the Stray Gators at the University of Alabama on 5 February 1973, entitled simply Tuscaloosa. “It’s from the period right around Harvest and Tonight’s the Night,” Young said. “For me, it’s edgy. It’s like those mellow songs with an edge. It’s really trippy to be down in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and singing those songs from Harvest and the songs that we were doing for Time Fades Away before it came out. I found this thing and it had such a great attitude to it. I just loved the whole night.”

- Jamie Cullum Taller
The hugely successful and much-respected British musician and songwriter Jamie Cullum has announced his return with the his eighth studio album, Taller. Cullum wrote and recorded the new album at the studio of his longtime friend and collaborator Troy Miller. The ten-track Taller represents a striking new direction, with the artist revealing a powerful and intimate vulnerability that’s being described as having “all the passion and intrigue you would expect from a debut record”.

- Peter Frampton Band All Blues
Rock legend Peter Frampton is voyaging into a new genre. The guitar virtuoso has announced a new album called All Blues, composed entirely of blues covers performed by the Peter Frampton Band. “I have always loved to play the blues,” Frampton remarked. “When we formed Humble Pie, the first material we played together was just that. For the last two summers I had been playing a handful of blues numbers every night onstage with Steve Miller Band. I enjoyed this immensely and it gave me the idea of doing an All Blues album live in the studio with my band. The energy of these tracks is completely different from building a track one instrument at a time.”

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Releases for 31 May 2019

We kick off 31 May’s set of smashers with an unexpected delight: a whole album of obscure, rare and unreleased tracks by Rory Gallagher; unearthed from the family’s tape archive, Blues displays Rory’s love of the genre throughout his solo career from 1971 right through to 1994, and mmm, it sounds lovely! Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan releases his first solo album in 20 years, Tenderness, which was driven by the idea of conflict: its manifestations and sometimes its resolution, and highlights the fact that history repeats itself over and over, and that we will all get past this, together. Kenny Wayne Shepherd, the young Louisiana gunslinger who erupted onto the early ’90s scene with his burn-it-down guitar solos and gut-punch songcraft, is still pushing his Fender Strat where others fear to fret, diving deep on The Traveller into human truths and global concerns with an honesty that only comes with age. Thomas Rhett has described his fourth album, Center Point Road as going back to his roots; well, if his roots are great country-inflected pop songs, he is dead right! Skepta is one of the most significant British artists of the age, a Mercury Prize winner and BRIT Award nominee with a diverse audience, who now brings us his new album, Ignorance Is Bliss.

Our album of the week is Further, the eighth studio album from the Sheffield Sinatra himself, Richard Hawley. He has said of the album: “I really wanted to challenge myself to try to keep things relatively up-tempo and keep the songs to about three minutes long. I was asking myself: ‘Can you get your message across like a bullet? Can you still do that?’ It’s quite a tough question to ask.”

- Richard Hawley Further
Further is the eighth studio album from the Sheffield Sinatra himself, Richard Hawley. He has said of the album: “I really wanted to challenge myself to try to keep things relatively up-tempo and keep the songs to about three minutes long. I was asking myself: ‘Can you get your message across like a bullet? Can you still do that?’ It’s quite a tough question to ask.”

- Rory Gallagher Blues
Here’s an unexpected delight: a whole album of obscure, rare and unreleased tracks by Rory Gallagher. This collection of recordings of Rory playing his favourite blues material has been unearthed from the vaults of the Gallagher family’s tape archive. The material ranges from never-heard-before tracks to special guest sessions with legendary blues artists and lost radio sessions. Blues displays Rory’s love of the genre throughout his solo career from 1971 right through to 1994, and mmm, it sounds lovely!

- Duff McKagan Tenderness
Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan releases his first solo album in 20 years, Tenderness, produced by the magnificently named Southern rocker Shooter Jennings. Duff explained that the sound of the album was driven by the idea of conflict: its manifestations and sometimes its resolution. The album highlights the fact that history repeats itself over and over, and that we will all get past this, together.

- Kenny Wayne Shepherd The Traveller
The Traveller reflects the fact that Kenny Wayne Shepherd, the young Louisiana gunslinger who erupted onto the early ’90s scene with his burn-it-down guitar solos and gut-punch songcraft, is still pushing his Fender Strat where others fear to fret, while diving deep into human truths and global concerns with an honesty that only comes with age and miles on the clock.

- Thomas Rhett Center Point Road
Thomas Rhett releases his fourth album, Center Point Road. He has described this album as going back to his roots; well, if his roots are great country-inflected pop songs, he is dead right!

- Skepta Ignorance Is Bliss
Since emerging as a producer and MC back in 2004, Skepta has become one of the most significant British artists of the age. The Mercury Prize winner and BRIT Award nominee has built a broad and diverse audience through his enigmatically energetic live performance and era defining catalogue of hits. This inspirational icon of future-facing fashion, whose influence is felt throughout contemporary global culture, now brings us his new album, Ignorance Is Bliss.
The CD and double LP are packaged in a special gatefold sleeve printed with touch-sensitive, heat-signature liquid crystal, which reveals a spectrum of colours when touched.

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Releases for 24 May 2019

We’ve got a blistering sextet for you this week, starting with The Waterboys’ new album, Where The Action Is, a testament to the enduring talents of the band’s founder and frontman, Mike Scott, one of the finest British songwriters of the past four decades. Earth’s ninth studio album, Full Upon Her Burning Lips, purges the embellishment and panache of previous releases and deconstructs dynamic of guitar/bass and drums over hulking, drone-driven opuses. Space-rock psych warriors Black Mountain’s new album, Destroyer, is imbued with the wild mix of freedom and fear that comes with one’s first time behind the wheel – it’s exhilarating, spirited and dangerous. Amyl And The Sniffers are an Australian punk band who set out to have as much fun as possible, and you can hear this clearly on their self-titled debut album. Flamagra, the first album from Flying Lotus in 5 years, draws on hip-hop, funk, soul, jazz, global dance music, and even IDM, and is perhaps the definitive FlyLo record.

Our release of the week is of course Honeyblood’s latest, In Plain Sight. This indie rock project led by Stina Tweedale goes from strength to strength, and any fears about the ‘difficult’ third album are allayed: the clear focus, wit and sparkling identity of the songwriting make this an instant classic.

- Honeyblood In Plain Sight
Honeyblood, the Edinburgh-based indie rock project led by Stina Tweedale, goes from strength to strength with the release of new album In Plain Sight. Any fears about the ‘difficult’ third album are allayed: the clear focus, wit and sparkling identity of the songwriting make this an instant classic.
We are delighted to be the very first stop on Honeyblood’s short in-store tour to launch the album on 17 May at 6.30pm, and we will have early copies of the CD and exclusive dark-green vinyl available on the night. Don’t know Honeyblood? Well, have a listen here and we’ll see you on the 17th May!

- The Waterboys Where The Action Is
The Waterboys release their new album, Where The Action Is, which follows the acclaimed Out Of All This Blue. With a title inspired by Robert Parker’s 1960s mod / northern soul classic, this 10-song, genre-defying album is a testament to the enduring talents of the band’s founder and frontman, Mike Scott. One of the finest British songwriters of the past four decades, Scott’s songs have been covered and recorded by artists including Prince, Rod Stewart, Tom Jones, Steve Earle, and Ellie Goulding (who had a number three hit with ‘How Long Will I Love You’).

- Earth Fall Upon Her Burning Lips
Earth’s ninth studio album, Full Upon Her Burning Lips, purges the embellishment and panache of previous releases and deconstructs the tried-and-true dynamic of Dylan Carlson on guitar and bass and Adrienne Davies on drums and percussion. Scaling back on the flourishes of their hulking, drone-driven opuses, Full Upon Her Burning Lips was composed without a narrative, relying instead on their collective subconscious to hone in on the overarching muse as the songs developed.

- Black Mountain Destroyer
Space-rock psych warriors Black Mountain’s new album, Destroyer, is imbued with all the wild-ass freedom and newfound agency (and anxiety and fear) that comes with one’s first time behind the wheel. Destroyer, named after a discontinued single-run 1985 Dodge muscle car, is structured around the feeling of driving a hot rod. The album exists in the middle of the early-to-mid 80s Los Angeles war between punk and hair metal – it’s exhilarating, spirited and dangerous.

- Amyl And The Sniffers Amyl And The Sniffers
Amyl And The Sniffers are a punk band possessed by the spirit of seventies Australian rock. The band take their cues from a diverse bunch of legends including AC/DC, Cosmic Psychos, Dolly Parton and Die Antwoord. They set out to have as much fun as possible, and you can hear this clearly on their self-titled debut album.

- Flying Lotus Flamagra
Flamagra, the first album from Flying Lotus in 5 years, has an extensive and varied guest list. And it should come as no surprise that Flamagra draws on hip-hop, funk, soul, jazz, global dance music, and even IDM. It has been described as perhaps “the definitive” FlyLo record, “an astral afro-futurist masterpiece of deep soul, cosmic dust, and startling originality.”

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Releases for 17 May 2019

17 May’s smashers start off with Small World Turning, the first new collection of songs from the internationally acclaimed Thea Gilmore since The Counterweight: a vibrant and deeply resonant album, rooted in folk music but completely transcending any genre limitations. Interpol’s new EP, A Fine Mess, is full of visceral and contagious energy, and inspired by a series of lost images recovered from an abandoned police station in Detroit, Michigan: a bracing and distinct entry in Interpol’s oeuvre. Sons takes The Heavy’s blazing, urgent and infectious sound to dizzying new heights, flitting between soul, bombastic rock and blues in a singular package: “taking it back to the dirt and filth we’re best known for … and making it better than we ever have.” 2018 was a truly remarkable year for budding Scottish artist Lewis Capaldi, rising from playing in local pubs around Scotland to selling out three major tours and supporting Sam Smith, Bastille, Rag’n’Bone Man and Niall Horan, and being nominated for numerous awards. 2019 looks set to catapult him into the stratosphere with his long-anticipated debut album, Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent. The imaginatively titled Rammstein, their first full-length release in a decade, finds the band taking a different approach: “It has a lot of life and energy in it, but it’s not all angry. … It’s different for Rammstein. You might even say it’s fun to listen to!”

Our album of the week is I Am Easy To Find, the follow-up to The National’s award-winning Sleep Well Beast. Vocal contributions from Sharon Van Etten, Lisa Hannigan, Mina Tindle, Gail Ann Dorsey, Kate Stables and Brooklyn Youth Chorus bringing a fascinating tapestry of other people’s identities to the National’s trademarks of digitally manipulated guitar lines, skittering drums and Matt Berninger’s familiar baritone.

- The National I Am Easy To Find
The National’s new album, I Am Easy To Find, is the band’s eighth studio album and the follow-up to 2017’s Grammy-award winning Sleep Well Beast. The album features vocal contributions from Sharon Van Etten, Brooklyn Youth Chorus, Lisa Hannigan, Mina Tindle and more. As the album’s opening track, ‘You Had Your Soul With You’, unfurls, it’s so far, so National: a digitally manipulated guitar line, skittering drums, Matt Berninger’s familiar baritone, mounting tension. Then around the 2:15 mark, the true nature of I Am Easy To Find announces itself: the racket subsides, strings swell, and the voice of long-time David Bowie bandmate Gail Ann Dorsey booms out – not as background vocals, not as a hook, but to take over the song. Elsewhere it’s Irish singer-songwriter Lisa Hannigan, or Sharon Van Etten, or Mina Tindle or Kate Stables of This Is the Kit, or varying combinations of them. Or the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, with whom Bryce Dessner had worked before. There are choral arrangements and strings on nearly every track, largely put together by Bryce in Paris – not a negation of the band’s dramatic tendencies, but a redistribution of them. “Yes, there are a lot of women singing on this, but it wasn’t because, ‘Oh, let’s have more women’s voices,’” says Berninger. “It was more, ‘Let’s have more of a fabric of people’s identities.’ It would have been better to have had other male singers, but my ego wouldn’t let that happen.”

The National – I Am Easy To Find deluxe 3-LP

- Thea Gilmore Small World Turning
Small World Turning is Thea Gilmore’s first new collection of songs since 2017’s The Counterweight, which was her third successive Top-40 album. An artist of enduring international acclaim (Bruce Springsteen regularly names her as a favourite) and a justly revered lyricist, Gilmore’s musical settings have taken many ingenious detours in recent years. Small World Turning, however, nails its colours to a very different mast from the get-go: acoustic guitars are back to the fore, and a quintessentially rootsy array of instruments frame them – fiddles, whistles, mandolins and tenor banjos are all in abundance. A gifted and exceptional artist at the peak of her powers, Thea Gilmore has delivered a vibrant and deeply resonant album, rooted in folk music but completely transcending any .

- Interpol A Fine Mess EP
Interpol’s new EP, A Fine Mess, is a linear continuation of the visceral and contagious energy set loose with Marauder. Echoing its title, the artwork for A Fine Mess is illustrated by a series of lost images, recovered from an abandoned police station in Detroit, Michigan. In a crumbling evidence room – amongst the rubble – an undeveloped roll of film, dated ‘1-20-96’, featured latent images of a breaking and entering scene, the rooms in chaos. A Fine Mess is a bracing and distinct entry in Interpol’s oeuvre.

- The Heavy Sons
The Heavy’s fifth album, Sons, takes the band’s blazing, urgent and infectious sound to dizzying new heights, flitting between soul, bombastic rock and blues in a singular package. “Sons is taking it back to the dirt and filth The Heavy are best known for … and making it better than we ever have,” said lead singer Kelvin Swaby.

- Lewis Capaldi Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent
2018 was a truly remarkable year for budding Scottish artist Lewis Capaldi, rising from years of playing in local pubs around Scotland to selling 75,000 tickets on three sold-out back-to-back headline tours and being hand-picked to support Sam Smith, Bastille, Rag’n’Bone Man and Niall Horan. Critical support also came in droves as he was shortlisted for the Brits Critics’ Choice award, long-listed for BBC’s Sound of 2018 and added to Radio 1’s coveted Brit List. 2019 looks set to catapult him into the stratosphere with the announcement of his long-anticipated debut album, Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent.

- Rammstein Rammstein
Rammstein release the imaginatively titled Rammstein, their seventh studio album and their first full-length release in a decade. According to guitarists Richard Kruspe and Paul Landers, the band are taking a different approach with their new record: “It’s not too sterile, not too clean,” Landers said. “It has a lot of life and energy in it, but it’s not all angry. The music is more than that. It’s different for Rammstein. You might even say it’s fun to listen to!”

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Releases for 3 May 2019

We start off 3 May’s lovelies with Joy Williams, whose second solo album, Front Porch, is a smasher! She returns to the folk-oriented emotions of her Civil Wars days with 12 songs that can be played, well, on your front porch. Father Of The Bride closes a six-year gap since American indie stars Vampire Weekend’s last album. In typical VW fashion, the title expresses the band’s signature paradox: creating songs that could easily find a home on any playlist – or car radio, TV show, film soundtrack, airport PA, etc. – but with complexities that are revealed upon closer listening. The creatively brilliant Wildhearts return with the aptly titled Renaissance Men, featuring their distinctive fusion of hard rock, perfectly complimented by contemporary melodies – in 30 years they haven’t shown any sign of slowing down. The Felice Brothers’ new album, Undress, was cut live to tape with very little overdubbing. The songs show a shift from private to public concerns: there are a lot of storms blooming on the horizon these days, and a lot of chaos that permeates our lives; the hard part is finding simple and direct ways to address them. Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes return with End Of Suffering, named after the Buddhist term for enlightenment, and it sees band entering an entirely new realm of the senses: a forty-minute rock’n’rollercoaster of molten-hot bangers, scorched-soul ballads and grunge lullabies laced through with a lacerating lyrical honesty.

Our album of the week is U.F.O.F., with F standing for ‘Friend’, the highly anticipated third record by Big Thief. The New York-based band’s songs represent an emotional bravery and realness that weaves intimate relationships with the listener, a phenomenon that has made them one of the most widely respected bands of the current era.

- Big Thief U.F.O.F.
U.F.O.F., with F standing for ‘Friend’, is the name of the highly anticipated third record by Big Thief. It was recorded in rural western Washington at Bear Creek Studios with engineer Dom Monks, and producer Andrew Sarlo, who was also behind their previous albums.
The New York-based band, featuring Adrianne Lenker (guitar, vocals), Buck Meek (guitar), Max Oleartchik (bass), and James Krivchenia (drums), has spent the last 4 years on an incessant world tour, winning the devotion of an enthusiastic and rapidly expanding audience.
Their songs represent an emotional bravery and realness that weaves intimate relationships with the listener, a phenomenon that has made them one of the most widely respected bands of the current era.
Note: the LP is available on indies-only orange vinyl.

- Joy Williams Front Porch
Joy Williams, formerly one half of The Civil Wars, brings us her second solo album, Front Porch, and it’s a smasher! Already receiving praise from the likes of Rolling Stone, this album returns to the folk-oriented emotions of her Civil Wars days and has produced 12 songs that can be played, well, on your front porch.

- Vampire Weekend Father Of The Bride
American indie stars Vampire Weekend’s fourth studio album, Father Of The Bride, closes a six-year gap since 2013’s Modern Vampires Of The City – a period during which the band’s Ezra Koenig was anything but idle. In addition to touring the world and winning a Best Alternative Grammy, Koenig released his Netflix anime series Neo Yokio, continued to host his show Time Crisis on Beats1, co-wrote and produced Beyonce’s ‘Hold Up’ … all the while living the experiences and observations that would inform the next Vampire Weekend album.
Father Of The Bride’s title is something Koenig chose years back, well before recent significant developments in his life. In typical VW fashion, the title has multiple layers of meaning, expressing the band’s signature paradox: creating songs that could easily find a home on any playlist – or car radio, TV show, film soundtrack, airport PA, etc. – but with complexities that are revealed upon closer listening.

- The Wildhearts Renaissance Men
The Wildhearts return with the aptly titled Renaissance Men. This creatively brilliant band plays a distinctive fusion of hard rock, perfectly complimented by contemporary melodies. The Wildhearts helped change the landscape of British rock during the ’90s, and to this day they haven’t shown any sign of slowing down.

- The Felice Brothers Undress
The Felice Brothers’ new album, Undress, was cut live to tape with very little overdubbing in the late summer of 2018 in Germantown, New York. Many of the songs on the new album are motivated by a shift from private to public concerns, says songwriter Ian Felice. It isn’t hard to find worthwhile things to write about these days, there are a lot of storms blooming on the horizon and a lot of chaos that permeates our lives. The hard part is finding simple and direct ways to address them.

- Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes End Of Suffering
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes return with their third studio album, End Of Suffering. The title comes from the Buddhist term for enlightenment, and this is the sound of a band entering an entirely new realm of the senses: a forty-minute rock’n’rollercoaster of molten-hot bangers, scorched-soul ballads and grunge lullabies laced through with a lacerating lyrical honesty.
Note: the LP is available on indies-only splatter vinyl.

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Other releases for 2019

Find releases from 2020 | 2018.