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Releases for
August 25, 2017
![Album cover for A Deeper Understanding [Digipack] by The War on Drugs](https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0004733584/front/220/fXDdJIbDC88kv-FDggCbtD6KsMttLlyBmmVTZ6_CLs0=.jpg)
A Deeper Understanding [Digipack]
Atlantic
An uncompromising major-label debut that reconstitutes the '70s rock touchstones and meticulous soundscaping of 2014's Lost in the Dream.
Beast Epic
Sub Pop
Absent some of the gloss from previous albums, the band's sixth album is relatively stripped down and reliably autumnal.
Blue Chips 7000
Atlantic
The ebullient rapper, Viceland personality, and published author delivers his second major-label album, a loose, kicked-back affair.
Fifth Harmony
Epic / Syco Music
The pop group's slickly produced third album and first since the departure of Camila Cabello.
Cozy Tapes, Vol. 2: Too Cozy
RCA
The sequel to their 2016 debut features an all-star cast of guests as well as dense verses from Mob members.
Orc
Castle Face
Even though they seemingly release an album every month, they never sound anything less than inspired, insane, and bursting with manic energy.
All We Know of Heaven, All We Need of Hell
BMG / Rise Records
On their streamlined sophomore set, the alt-rock trio from Lowell, Massachusetts grow from hardcore kids to melodic powerhouses.
Expect the Best
Captured Tracks
Joined by its touring rhythm section, the group deliver some of its heaviest -- and most contemplative -- music yet.
Far from Over
ECM
The pianist draws upon late-'60s Miles Davis and Mwandishi-era Herbie Hancock for this daring, exploratory sextet date.
Exile in the Outer Ring
City Slang
An apocalyptic vision of nationalism, poverty, and alienation that is one of Anderson's finest achievements.
Invitation
Kill Rock Stars
Alt-rock supergroup delivers a retro-minded protest record that's as galvanizing as it is fun.
Genesis
SoNo Recording Group
Modern, uncompromised material from the veteran R&B artist, co-produced with Tim Kelley.
Trinity Lane
New West
Singer/songwriter opens up about her troubles with liquor and love on her impressive third album.
Take Flight
BMG / I/AM/ME / I Records / Me
Highly ambitious double album from the London-based DJ/producer, alternating between throbbing dance tracks and more sensuous downtempo cuts.
Fantastic Plastic
Severn Records
Fabled retro-rock combo returns to the studio after a 24-year layoff and delivers a solid LP full of trademark melodies and jangle.
Music for People in Trouble
Bella Union
This inward-looking sixth LP from the Norwegian singer/songwriter is rooted in empathy; even at its most cynical, the warmth of its core radiates outward.
Light in Your Mind
Tough Love
The U.K. band's first album as a duo is a deeply emotive, finely articulated production, borne out of period of turmoil.
![Album cover for Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real [2017] by Lukas Nelson / Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real](https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0004756622/front/220/st7VQ0f6BxT8BcKklZo4MVWnbEN5fCjifro6xhIBuB4=.jpg)
Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real [2017]
Fantasy
A funky, elegant, and soulful record that showcases the full potential of Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real.
Be Here Now
Saddle Creek Records / Saddle Creek Uk
Written and recorded shortly after the inauguration of Donald Trump, Be Here Now is both a call to action and a balm for unsteady times.
Wolf Lie Down
Sinderlyn
With production by Kelley Stoltz and Greg Ashley, the psych-pop band's sixth LP is reinvigorated by a balanced return to garage rock noise.
Seekers and Finders
Cooking Vinyl
Recorded on three continents, this raucous gypsy punk outfit extend their trademark sound to embrace Tex-Mex, outlaw country, and borderland rock.
Tribe
Virgin EMI
The successful British dance duo fire off another round of radio- and festival-ready drum'n'bass, grime, and dubstep.
Strength in Numbers
Century Media
Sweden's melodic death metallers mix up their attack with mixed results on their ninth album.
Dreaming in the Non-Dream
No Quarter
The intrepid guitarist and his road band deliver four songs over 35 minutes that collectively communicate rock expressionism's dynamic interior.
Rainbow Edition
Big Dada
Enigmatic lo-fi experimental project Hype Williams returns with its first physical release without Dean Blunt or Inga Copeland.
Sandgrown
Trouble in Mind
Intimate, nostalgic solo debut of quiet guitar pop from the founding member of Mazes and half of Ultimate Painting.
Spectric Acid
Thrill Jockey
Mouse on Mars' Jan St. Werner delivers an exercise in sheer force with this bludgeoning album of pounding jackhammer rhythms.
Toy
Merge
The Austin outsiders deliver another gnashing romp through the darker recesses of party rock.
Teenage Grown Ups
Burger Records
Second album from these Orange County garage punks is raucous guitar-fueled fun, and a lot smarter than you might expect.
Spokeswoman of the Bright Sun
Glitterhouse Records
Former Jayhawks leader once again collaborates with his wife; the surfaces are lovely, but the songs are a letdown.
Ripe & Majestic
Rad Cult
The leader of electronic psych-pop band Black Moth Super Rainbow opens his vaults for this sprawling collection of outtakes and instrumentals.
Bulls and Roosters
Nettwerk
Songwriting gets an upgrade on the garage punks' hooky, bratty, fourth LP, which draws on early British Invasion.
The Part That No One Knows
Kanine Records
The Scottish indie rock trio's muscular sophomore set remains rooted in noisy early-'90s indie rock.
Electro-Soma I+II
Warp
Reissue of B12's early-'90s ambient techno classic Electro-Soma, packaged with a second disc of material from the same time period.
Spear in the City
Secretly Canadian / Thousand Tongues
The L.A. collective’s first album in six years still employs animated rhythms and chorale-type vocals but has a darker tone.
Galaktikon II: Become the Storm
BS / Megaforce
The Dethklok creator has crafted another winning slate of melodic death metal anthems that flirt with every iteration of the genre.
Lost
Graveface Records
Northern Pennsylvania shoegaze crushers Stargazer Lilies compile non-LP tracks on their third release (but not their third proper album).
Trash Generator
Sargent House
Combining the pop/punk acumen of the Futureheads, the nerdy logistics of Rush, and the fevered attack of Sonic Youth yields a seriously satisfying confection.
Good Nature
Run for Cover Records
The re-formed Virginia Beach rockers settle deeper into the sun-dappled dream pop they introduced on their sophomore effort.
Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit
Yep Roc
The debut of Lowe's rollicking Cowboy Outfit, featuring "Half a Boy and Half a Man."
The Rose of England
Yep Roc
Nick Lowe cleans things up a little bit on his second go-round with His Cowboy Out.
![Album cover for A Man Called Destruction [Expanded Edition] by Alex Chilton](https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0004751822/front/220/Y3E2KGL6F8x3SGAoNXGuWg4Q1ghY8VaPylnm7PwcKNY=.jpg)
A Man Called Destruction [Expanded Edition]
Omnivore
The Big Star visionary turned Memphis eccentric genius practically defines "loosely tight" on this reissued mid-'90s session.
Various Artists
One Way Glass: Dancefloor Prog, Brit Jazz & Funky Folk 1968-1975
RPM
A weird and fun collection of exactly what the subtitle promises, with a mix of fairly well-known artists and complete obscurities.
Ernest Bloch: Schelomo; Antonín Dvořák: Cello Concerto; Klid 'Silent Woods'
Audite
Coppey offers a full-blooded, passionate reading that may put the listener in mind of classic Czech performances.
David Bednall: Sudden Light - Choral Works
Delphian
Bednall's music has aspects in common with the 1930s English "Romantic Moderns," yet might be better called Romantic Eclectic.
Reijnold Popma van Oevering: Suittes voor't Clavier
Aeolus Music
Reijnold Popma van Oevering may be obscure today, but his six keyboard suites likely influenced J.S. Bach's English Suites.
Reger: Clarinet Sonatas
Chandos
An accomplished performance separates the many musical strands and retains a calm mood.
John Sheppard: Media Vita
Hyperion
Both sumptuous and informative, this is a superior Sheppard recording.
Paweł Łukaszewski: Motets
Warner Classics
Łukaszewski is at heart a holy minimalist who uses a variety of techniques for a spiritual understanding of the text.