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Nina Simone Fodder On My Wings Verve |
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"I sing just to know I am alive" sings Nina Simone on the song of the same name. This was no mere introduction but a statement of purpose for the jazz genius, who never ran out of important things to say not to mention innovative ways to express them. Originally recorded for a small French label and only sporadically available since its initial release, Fodder On My Wings is a lesser known but important part of Nina's musical history. |
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Hot Mulligan you'll be fine No Sleep Records |
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Hot Mulligan writes songs for people to sing as loud as possible. Their music is the cathartic outcry for growth from a generation of forward-thinking Midwesterners caught in the gears of a rusted system in desperate need of hope. You'll Be Fine, in true Hot Mulligan fashion, aims to capture the human experience with unflinching honesty and soaring hooks that, above all else, make people feel something. But don't' get it twisted: The name Hot Mulligan sounds like a jam band you'd be wise to avoid, but this is pit-worthy power pop emo is definitely worth your attention. |
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Thundercat It Is What It Is Brainfeeder |
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It Is What It Is follows Thundercat's game-changing third album Drunk. That record completed his transition from virtuoso bassist / weirdo session guy to bonafide star. "This album is about love, loss, life and the ups and downs that come with that," says Thundercat about It Is What It Is. "It's a bit tongue-in-cheek, but at different points in life you come across places that you don't necessarily understand." Ty Dolla $ign, Childish Gambino, Kamasi Washington, BADBADNOTGOOD, and Steve Lacy are among the guests. His main-man (and frequent collaborator) , Flying Lotus, co-produces. |
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ROGER ENO AND BRIAN ENO MIXING COLOURS Verve |
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Roger and Brian Eno's latest album is a major milestone in their ongoing creative collaboration. The creative process began with Roger playing individual, Schubert-indebted pieces and recording them using a MIDI keyboard. He then those recordings to his older brother, Brian, who gave each piece in its own particular sound world. "What's happened with electronics is that all the spaces in between [classical instruments] are being explored, yielding new sounds that have never previously existed," says Brian. "It has been a huge pleasure for me to explore that ocean with Roger's unique compositions." The result is spare and beautiful. |
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Early James Singing For My Supper NON |
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Singing for My Supper spans hard-charging blues, wistful folk, and ages-old pop crooning, anchored by Birmingham, AL native Early James' voice, which oscillates from gravel-gruff shout to a honey-smooth whisper. Early James' inspirations run from Fiona Apple and Tom Waits to the Southern Gothic poets. Singing for My Supper features ten wide-ranging songs, co-produced by The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach and David "Fergie" Ferguson. The subject matter ranges from depression and its so-called "treatments", the vices of adulthood, and the shadowy corners of one's upbringing. But don't mistake Early James' geographical background dismissively. Here, James folds blues, R&B, and country honk into unexpected psychedelic territory. |
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Dom Flemons Prospect Hill: The American Songster Omnibus Omnivore |
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Dom Flemons is known as "The American Songster." The talented multi-instrumentalist was a member of the Grammyฎ-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops until 2013, and has been following his own path ever since. His third solo album, Prospect Hill, was released in 2014 after Flemons spent "many days listening to vinyl records, 78s and CDs, discovering new genres of music in record stores all across the country and the world." Prospect Hill: The American Songster Omnibus is a 2-CD collection containing a three-part journey to the heart of American music: The original album, the 2015 EP, What Got Over; and The Drum Major Instinct a set of 12 previously unissued instrumental tracks. |
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Cavetown Sleepyhead Warner |
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Sleepyhead, the latest album from Cavetown, was recorded, produced, mixed and mastered by Robin Skinner himself in the bedroom of his London apartment. The 11-song collection is set to prove to the world why he's become not just a cornerstone of the bedroom pop community, but a torchbearer for the next generation. Skinner's distilled his energy on Sleepyhead into what really moves fans: The songs themselves, occasionally lighthearted, largely poignant but always authentically him. Fans of Car Seat Headrest, Elliot Smith, and Say Anything will find much to love there. |
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In This Moment Mother RRR |
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Mother is latest from In This Moment the powerful and dramatic metal group helmed by is guitarist Chris Howorth's heavier-than-granite riffing and, of course, the ever beguiling and occasionally terrifying Maria Brink one the greatest, and criminally-underrated, frontwomen in rock. Mother is not only the group's heaviest album since Blood, but it benefits from an intricate, occasionally electronica influence production that only adds to the while knuckle intensity at the core of In This Moment's songs. Brink sounds better than ever, using her powerful voice to plum dark, scratchy near-whispers only to detonate her soaring high register. Halestorm's Lizzy Hale and The Pretty Reckless' Taylor Momsen are among the guests. |
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Dua Lipa Future Nostalgia Warner |
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"I know you're dying to figure me out," sings Dua Lipa on the title-cut of her new album, Future Nostalgia a Daft Punk inspired banger doubling as a statement of purpose: "What I wanted to do with this album was to break out of my comfort zone and challenge myself to make music that felt like it could sit alongside some of my favorite classic pop songs." Future Nostalgia not only cleverly incorporates her favorite moments of 70s, 80s, 90s pop, but on tracks like "Break My Heart" twists samples of INXS' "Need You Tonight" to meet the needs of her euphoric vision. |
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Gregory Porter All Rise Verve |
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All Rise, the sixth studio album from the world's best-selling contemporary jazz/soul artist, Gregory Porter, marks a return to his beloved original songwriting: Heart-on-sleeve lyrics imbued with everyday philosophy and real-life detail, set to a stirring mix of jazz, soul, blues and gospel. Produced by Troy Miller (Laura Mvula, Jamie Cullum, Emili Sande), All Rise represents the evolution of Porter's art to something even more emphatic, emotive, intimate, and universal too. All Rise brims with songs about irrepressible love, plus a little protest, because the road to healing is bumpy. These are modern torch songs that smolder at the promise of redemption. Get lifted. |
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Whitmer Thomas Songs from the Golden One Hardly Art |
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When asked to describe himself, Whitmer Thomas comic, musician, skateboarder, infamous Blink182 fan will tell you, "I'm always gonna be the one whose mom called him 'the Golden One,' right before she died." This is where his debut HBO comedy special, The Golden One, finds Whitmer: age 30, investigating this sense (curse?) of destiny-as-identity. Songs from The Golden One, a companion album of songs from the special, features Whitmer's darkwave bangers, synthesizing relatable content: millennial anxieties, therapy-speak jokes, and the annals of his own childhood tragedies. It features ten cuts of borderline-John Maus cosplay with spasms of pop-punk absurdity. |
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Kandace Springs The Women Who Raised Me Blue Note |
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From the moment you hear Kandace Springs, it's clear The Women Who Raised Me exists apart from the normal rules that govern space, time, and talent. While 2018's Indigo album found the Nashville singer-pianist using modern production to bend sound into new forms, The Women Who Raised adheres sonically to jazz. While the feel is as rich and complex as our host's voice, the concept is simple. Springs covers the women who inspired her while she was growing up, putting her own spin on songs associated with a dozen of the greatest female vocalists of all-time, including Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, and Lauryn Hill. A sultry, atmospheric masterpiece. |
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Tesla Five Man London Jam Hip-O |
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Tesla's new live album, Five Man London Jam, was recorded and filmed in 4K high-definition as an homage to their critically acclaimed and highly influential Top 20 platinum album Five Man Acoustical Jam. The recording of this live album took place when Tesla visited the famed iconic recording studio Abbey Road Studios for a one-night musical event capturing the band performing songs from their legendary arsenal including "Love Song" and "What You Give" along with their classic covers of "Signs" and "We Can Work It Out," and "California Summer Song" the standout track from their new album, Shock. |
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The Sleep Eazys Easy to Buy, Hard to Sell J&R Adventures |
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Easy To Buy, Hard To Sell as the debut from Joe Bonamassa's brand new project, The Sleep Eazys. The LP a collection of instrumentals takes a slight departure from Bonamassa's revered repertoire, with the intent of honoring Danny Gatton, one of his most influential mentors, as well as covering instrumental versions of some of his favorites from Frank Sinatra, Gatton, Tony Joe White, King Curtis and more. In addition to Bonamassa, The Sleep Eazys features world-renowned percussionist Anton Fig (of Late Night with David Letterman fame). |
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Sam Gendel Satin Doll NON |
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Sam Gendel is most known for his work with the saxophone, though he is proficient on multiple instruments. His work is diverse and includes significant collaborations with a wide range of artists including Ry Cooder, Blake Mills, Sam Amidon, Perfume Genius, Moses Sumney, Knower, and Vampire Weekend. Gendel's new album, Satin Doll, is a futuristic homage to historical jazz. The album features three musicians Gendel on saxophone, Gabe Noel on electric bass, and Philippe Melanson on electronic percussion engaging in simultaneous synchronized sonic construction/deconstruction of jazz standards, including Miles Davis' "Freddie Freeloader," Charles Mingus' "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat," and Duke Ellington's "Satin Doll." |
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Moaning Uneasy Laughter Sub Pop |
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What happens when an abrasive rock trio trades guitars for synths, cranks up the beats and leans into the everyday anxieties of simply being a functioning human in the 21st century? The answer is Uneasy Laughter, the sensational new album from Los Angeles-based Moaning. Uneasy Laughter is a collaborative breakthrough which significantly brightens Moaning's once claustrophobic sound, again abetted by producer/engineer Alex Newport (At The Drive-In, Bloc Party, Melvins). Uneasy Laughter's goth proclivities are still at the fore, but subject matter eschews doom for a desire to heal and, in the process, become a better, more empathetic person. Still, the dense textures and occasional slinky jams are perfect for your Dark Disco pleasure. |
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Caitlyn Smith Supernova Monument Records |
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After making three albums before she turned 19, Caitlyn Smith moved to Nashville, and became one of the town's most celebrated songwriters, with compositions recorded by Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton, John Legend, and Meghan Trainor (for whom she co-wrote the multi-platinum duet "Like I'm Gonna Lose You"). But attempting to re-launch herself as a singer proved more challenging than she expected. Those struggles manifested themselves on her 2018, Starfire. Her new album, Supernova, is a collection of next steps: Not only in terms of subject matter new victories and disappointments abound but in vision and execution. Everything about Supernova smolders. |
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LISTEN HERE |
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LISTEN HERE |
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Purity Ring WOMB 4AD |
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After more than five years, Purity Ring return with Womb an album that chronicles a quest for comfort; the search for a resting place in a world where so much is beyond our control. The New York Times noted that 2015's Another Eternity was "only a few steps removed from radio hits by singers like Ariana Grande and Ellie Goulding," and that pop sensibility still looms large on Womb. Womb's bubblegum goth sounds like a dark suburban fantasy dream especially when the well-tempered synths of "pink lightning" and "stardew" fly like bottle rockets across the stereo field. But tracks like "peacefall" lull you into somnambulant serenity that truly gives Womb its seductive charm. A perfect soundtrack to lovesick, quarantined love affairs. |
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The Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS) is a national level organization comprised of the best independent record stores in America. CIMS was founded in 1995 with the goal of uniting like minded independent store owners, giving them a more powerful voice in the music industry. The stores that make up CIMS are all very different, but we share the same desires to be the heart of our communities, to super-serve our customers, to support and develop artists, and to share our love of music. For more information about CIMS and the stores in our organization, please visit cimsmusic.com or find us through social media with the #cimsmusic hashtag. And please remember to always shop local by supporting your neighborhood record store.
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