Featured New Releases for
February 3, 2015

Bob Dylan

Shadows in the Night

Columbia

Pop/Rock

Dylan rearranges ten selections from the Great American Songbook -- all recorded by Sinatra, if not necessarily identified with him -- for his five-piece road band.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Diana Krall

Wallflower

Verve

Vocal

The jazz singer reinterprets the '70s soft rock hits of her childhood.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Butch Walker

Afraid of Ghosts

Dangerbird Records

Pop/Rock

Teaming up with producer Ryan Adams, the L.A.-based journeyman constructs a de facto tribute to Adams' moody Americana of the 2000s.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Cody Carpenter / John Carpenter / Daniel Davies

Lost Themes

Sacred Bones

Pop/Rock, Electronic

The acclaimed director and composer's first non-soundtrack album is a thrill ride through his most distinctive sounds.

— Heather Phares

Kenny Wheeler / Kenny Wheeler Quintet

Songs for Quintet

ECM

Jazz

Poignant, lyrical final studio album from the acclaimed avant-garde jazz trumpeter.

— Matt Collar

Kid Ink

Full Speed

RCA

Rap

Club-worthy tracks that aren't entirely crass fill the rapper's third studio effort.

— David Jeffries

Blind Guardian

Beyond the Red Mirror

Nuclear Blast

Pop/Rock

The veteran German power metal outfit's first album in five years and a sequel to their much loved 1995 offering Imaginations from the Other Side.

— James Christopher Monger

Pond

Man, It Feels Like Space Again

Caroline

Pop/Rock

Sixth album from this Tame Impala offshoot is a messy, crowded triumph of blissful psych pop.

— Fred Thomas

Ty Segall / Ty Segall Band

Live in San Francisco

Castle Face

Pop/Rock

The garage punk prodigy eases back toward his sophisticated side for a potent, roof-raising set of live rock & roll thunder.

— Mark Deming

Fifth Harmony

Reflection

Epic / Syco Music

Pop/Rock

Post-Beyoncé female empowerment and '90s R&B inform the former X-Factor girl group's slick debut.

Boduf Songs

Stench of Exist

The Flenser

Pop/Rock

On his Flenser debut, Mat Sweet balances old and new sounds with direct, affecting results.

— Heather Phares

Michna

Thousand Thursday

Ghostly International

Electronic

More charming, disco-inspired synth pop, with a couple darker diversions, from the Ghostly International producer.

— Andy Kellman

The Staves

If I Was

Atlantic

Pop/Rock

The second album from the sibling trio was produced by Bon Iver's Justin Vernon, who brings richer musical colors to their palette.

— Mark Deming

Title Fight

Hyperview

Anti-

Pop/Rock

The Pennsylvania band boldly steps away from its post-hardcore roots with this ethereal and melodic shoegaze-inspired album.

— Timothy Monger

All We Are

Domino / Double Six

Pop/Rock

The Liverpool trio's debut LP delivers subtle dance/dream-pop that satisfies both the dancefloor and the late night drive home.

— Timothy Monger

John Reis / The Blind Shake / Swami John Reis & the Blind Shake

Modern Surf Classics

Swami

Pop/Rock

Rocket from the Crypt leader hangs ten on a set of surf instrumentals that merge vintage sound with modern muscle.

— Mark Deming

Henry Kaiser / Ray Russell

The Celestial Squid

Cuneiform Records

Jazz, Avant-Garde

This monumental, wildly successful meeting of two iconic guitarists was cut live in the studio with a large backing group using scant arrangements.

— Thom Jurek

Hiss Golden Messenger

Southern Grammar

Merge

Pop/Rock

This EP contains two fine unissued tracks and a kinetic on-air radio performance.

— Thom Jurek

Ivy Queen

Vendetta: The Project

Universal Music Latino

Latin

The reggaeton Queen returns with an angry and excellent effort based around her pregnancy, and the music industry's disappointing reaction.

— David Jeffries

Two Gallants

We Are Undone

ATO

Pop/Rock

San Francisco guitar-and-drums duo rocks hard while honoring their folk-inspired roots on their 5th album.

— Mark Deming

Nite Fields

Depersonalisation

Felte

Pop/Rock

The post-punk meets shoegaze act delivers a beautifully bummed-out fever dream of a debut.

— Heather Phares

Etienne Jaumet

La Visite

Versatile

Electronic

The second solo album from one-half of Zombie Zombie delivers a more danceable update on his atmospheric tech-house.

— Heather Phares

Breakfast in Fur

Flyaway Garden

Bar/None Records

Pop/Rock

The Bar/None-issued debut long-player from the dreamy, Hudson Valley-based indie pop collective.

— James Christopher Monger

H. Hawkline

In the Pink of Condition

Heavenly

Pop/Rock

Welsh psych-folk with a woozy heart and ace production by fellow traveler Cate Le Bon.

— Tim Sendra

Emika

Klavírní

Emika Records

Electronic

The eclectic and usually electronic artist returns with an odd and warm album based around the piano.

— David Jeffries

Jonny Faith

Sundial

Tru Thoughts

Electronic

Relaxed and warm, the producer/DJ's debut is a near-perfect take on the "chillout album," with some hip-hop bounce thrown in for spice.

— Tim Sendra

Matana Roberts

Coin Coin Chapter Three: River Run Thee

Constellation

Avant-Garde

In the third of a projected 12 volumes, the artist shifts away from jazz, creating a hypnotic and compelling electro-acoustic ghost music.

— Thom Jurek

Murder by Death

Big Dark Love

Bloodshot

Pop/Rock

Love -- good, bad, and embittered -- is the common theme in these ten songs from the eclectic Americana act.

— Mark Deming

Prima Donna

Nine Lives and Forty-Fives

Alive / Alive Records

Pop/Rock

An unfiltered love letter to '70s power pop, blue-collar juke joint swagger, and Sunset Strip glitz.

— James Christopher Monger

Andy Shauf

The Bearer of Bad News

Party Damage / Tender Loving Empire

Pop/Rock

A beautiful and somber work of windswept Canadiana and orchestrated acoustic pop.

— Timothy Monger

Schneider Kacirek

Shadows Documents

Bureau B

Avant-Garde

Dark and minimal electronic soundscapes inspired by field recordings collected on extensive travels to Kenya.

— Fred Thomas

The Notwist

The Messier Objects

Alien Transistor

Pop/Rock

Odds and ends from the band's scoring projects offer an entertaining mix of familiar and experimental sounds.

— Heather Phares

Cornershop

Hold on It's Easy

Ample Play

Pop/Rock, Easy Listening

Playful reimagining of the band's debut album as a swinging big band meets easy listening experience.

— Tim Sendra

Tony Joe White

The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings

Real Gone Music

Pop/Rock, Country

Fine repackaging of the three albums (and rare single sides) the swamp rock legend cut for Warner Bros. in the '70s.

— Mark Deming

Bobby Lance

First Peace/Rollin' Man

Real Gone Music

Pop/Rock, R&B

Two rare albums sum up the headlining career of this soulful songwriter and arranger-turned-vocalist.

— Mark Deming

Cluster

Japan Live

Bureau B

Avant-Garde, Electronic, Pop/Rock

Archival recordings from this Krautrock duo's more patient improvised sets during a 1996 tour of Japan.

— Fred Thomas

Cluster

USA Live

Bureau B

Electronic, Avant-Garde, Pop/Rock

Live documents from the moody and often chaotic U.S. tour dates of this Krautrock duo's 1996 tour.

— Fred Thomas

George Jones / George Jones & Tammy Wynette / Tammy Wynette

Songs of Inspiration

Real Gone Music

Country

George & Tammy's 1972 LP We Love to Sing About Jesus is paired with Wynette's 1969 LP Inspiration on this 2014 CD.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

John Hall

Power

Real Gone Music

Pop/Rock

The Orleans' founder's 1979 album is a sweet slice of Yacht Rock tempered by a bit of political protest.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Philippe Graffin / Martyn Brabbins / Royal Flemish Philharmonic

The Romantic Violin Concerto, Vol. 18: Jongen, Lazzari

Hyperion

Classical

Graffin and the Royal Flemish Philharmonic under Brabbins handle the technical challenges of these works well. Recommended for those interested in Wagnerite ramifications.

— James Manheim