Brian Eno
LUX
Warp Records
LUX is Brian Eno’s first solo album on Warp Records and his first solo release since 2005′s Another Day On Earth. It finds him expanding upon the types of themes and sonic textures that were present on such classic albums as Music For Films, Music For Airports and Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks. Eno sees it as a continuation of his ‘Music for Thinking’ project that includes Discreet Music (1975) and Neroli (1993).
LUX is one of Eno’s most ambitious works to date; it is a 76 minute composition in twelve sections that evolved from a work currently housed in the Great Gallery of the Palace of Venaria in Turin, Italy. The album is Eno’s third for Warp, following Small Craft on a Milk Sea (with Jon Hopkins and Leo Abrahams) and Drums Between The Bells (with Rick Holland).
Grizzly Bear
Shields
Warp Records
Shields, the fourth and most fluid album by Grizzly Bear to date, will be released on Sept. 18, 2012. The quartet of Chris Bear, Ed Droste, Daniel Rossen and Chris Taylor have never made a quick follow-up; it took them three years to get from Horn of Plenty to Yellow House, three more to get from Yellow House to Veckatimest. Between those records, though, they’d not only toured (headlining as well as with the likes of Radiohead, Feist, Wilco, TV on the Radio and more), but issued singles and splits, EPs, remixes and solo projects. The potential energy gathered in tour vans and busses, in studios and on stages for years was finally released, giving the individual band’s pieces the chance to recover and, after a year, return to being Grizzly Bear, and delivering their best album yet. “This has a different energy behind it,” concludes Ed Droste. “Veckatimest was a little more of a polite album; the desire to keep the vocals smooth might have kept a little distance between us and the audience. This one feels a bit more rough and exposed, so that on Shields, everything speaks for itself.”
Iris DeMent
Sing the Delta
Flariella Records
Considered “one of the finest artists of her generation” (All Music), Iris DeMent has returned with her first album of original music in 16 years, Sing The Delta, out October 2 on her own Flariella label. The album brings the delta to life through timeless songs, DeMent’s richly evocative voice and support from a cast of first-call musicians including Al Perkins, Reese Wynans, and album co-producers Bo Ramsey and Richard Bennett.
Sing The Delta is uplifting and heartbreaking, ripe with twang and soul. Dixie horns, weeping slide guitar balladry and bright, Gospel-tinged piano swirl as Iris contemplates religion, love and family with introspection and imagery that few singer-songwriters can convey. Iris’ voice soars over a bluesy crawl on “The Kingdom Has Already Come” while “The Night I Learned How Not To Pray” is a vivid story about the tragic death of a young boy and subsequent religious reckoning.
Cody ChesnuTT
Landing on a Hundred
Vibration Vineyard
Universally hailed as a thrilling new figure in music for his edgy, lo-fi debut, The Headphone Masterpiece, back in 2002, Cody ChesnuTT is a soul troubadour whose frank, socially conscious ruminations on life continue to challenge popular notions of what modern soul music can look and sound like: a raw storyteller for the people wearing a guitar and a toothpick-chewing smirk; a wide-eyed, intense soul brother in a crazy-fly get-up singing about bedraggled love in the land of Lost Angeles – he’s all of that, but wiser now while still wearing poetic license on his skin like a battle scar. The Atlanta native has always stood his own creative ground ever since he first holed himself up in his bedroom to record The Headphone Masterpiece, armed with his DIY musical arsenal: a drum machine, an array of instruments, a dusty four-track cassette recorder and a giant pair of headphones to block out the world. The result was an unvarnished collection of songs — 36 in total, which alchemized his love of a multitude of styles: classic rock, rhythm and blues, pop, punk and gospel music.
Benjamin Gibbard
Former Lives
Barsuk Records
Other cities, other plans; different friends, different dreams; former loves, former lives. After fifteen years in Death Cab for Cutie, Ben Gibbard didn’t make his first solo album in search of a new beginning; instead, it closes a door. “These songs span eight years, three relationships, living in two different places, drinking then not drinking” he says of the dozen tracks that comprise Former Lives. “They’re a side story, not a new chapter.
Flying Lotus
Until the Quiet Comes
Warp Records
Composed, according to FlyLo, as “a collage of mystical states, dreams, sleep and lullabies”, Until the Quiet Comes has the distinct feel of this nocturnal trip. From the twitching descent into a subconscious state and the out-of-focus time-ether of the journey that follows, the sound is an unhinged, yet elegant evolution of the melodic and rhythmic interplay that is woven into the DNA of Flying Lotus’ aural personae. The album, featuring guests Erykah Badu, Laura Darlington, Niki Randa, Thundercat & Thom Yorke, is set for release on October 2. UTQC is fueled by FlyLo’s first ever full US Tour, multiple videos, creative visual assets and massive support from his ever-growing group of press and fans. Notable followers include Odd Future (Earl Sweatshirt collaboration with Adult Swim online now), Schoolboy Q (who’s been in the studio) and rising super-producer Clams Casino.
First Aid Kit
The Lion’s Roar
Wichita Records
First Aid Kit is Swedish sisters Klara and Johanna Söderberg. The first single and title track to their sophomore album, “The Lion’s Roar”, was recorded with producer Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes, Monsters of Folk, Jenny Lewis) in Omaha, NE. The record sees the band exploring a bigger sound and more instrumentation than on their debut album”The Big Black and the Blue”, but maintains the signature storytelling and harmonies they have become renowned for.
The Heavy
The Glorious Dead
Counter Records
Renegade English soul-rockers The Heavy are happy to announce the release of their new album, The Glorious Dead, on August 21 via Counter Records/Ninja Tune. The Glorious Dead is the band’s third full-length LP, and the follow-up to their acclaimed sophomore record The House That Dirt Built (2009). Self-produced and with their unique, raw eclecticism fully intact, it’s their most fully-realized record yet, mixing together soul, hip hop, rock, blues and funk into glorious, raucous party music that is equally full of heart.
Tift Merritt
Traveling Alone
Yep Roc
For Traveling Alone, Tift Merritt’s Yep Roc Records label debut, Merritt put together her dream cast to make a record that was real, raw and live off the floor. Recorded in Brooklyn in 8 days, this album was produced by Tucker Martine (The Decemberists, My Morning Jacket), features a guest appearance by Andrew Bird and a band that includes Marc Ribot (Tom Waits), Eric Heywood (Pretenders, Son Volt), John Convertino (Calexico) and longtime collaborator Jay Brown. These songs were written and traveled by Tift Merritt.
The Black Keys
The Big Come Up
Alive Records
There is something hugely satisfying about the unfettered moans of a vintage Fender Telecaster. For some solid sonic evidence, look no further than the gutsy 2002 debut of Ohio blues duo, The Black Keys. If you’re not hooked by the time Dan Auerbach finger-picks his way into the whining guitar groove of opener “Busted,” then the delivery of his sandpaper vocal drawl – ably assisted by Patrick Carney’s whiplash drumming and ‘medium fidelity’ production – will assure you that, in the US Midwest, they still keep their blues traditionally bottled. And therein lies the key to The Black Keys’ brilliance – the ability to make exciting new tunes sound raw and well-travelled, without falling into lame pastiche or parody. Check out the woozy, melodic leanings of “Yearnin’” or the straight-out garage barnstorm of “I’ll Be Your Man” – both tracks successfully fusing valve-humming cool with a contemporary edge that, five years and four LP’s down the line, remain founding cornerstones of The ‘Keys unique and wickedly uncoiled oeuvre. – Ross Bennett / Mojo
