Tuesday, August 22, 2006

New CD and Music DVD Releases

Fresh spins for the week of August 22

By Staff of CD World

Edgewater: We're Not Robots

This is the Dallas band's sophomore release. Edgewater is best remembered from Marvel's "Punisher" movie soundtrack and from their debut South Of Sideways on Wind-Up Records, which sent them on a relentless North American tour in 2004 and 2005 with Three Days Grace, Finger Eleven, Seether, and Alter Bridge. Look for them on tour the rest of this year into 2007.

Pat Green: Cannonball

Pat Green commands a position in the music world uniquely his own. He sells out stadiums like the Houston Astrodome and Dallas' Smirnoff Center as well as the Nokia Theater in New York City as a headliner, yet he also gets the opportunity to tour with major artists like Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban and the Dave Matthews Band. That dichotomy underscores one point: As hugely popular as Pat Green is, as rabid as his loyal fan base is, there's still an enormous audience getting their first exposure to his one-of-a-kind music and performances. Cannonball, his explosive new album, captures Green's joyous, provocative songwriting style with new sharpness and swagger. Working for the first time with a powerhouse Nashville label, Green and his supporters expect Cannonball to transform him from massive cult star to emerging country superstar.

The Fray: Live at the Electric Factory, Bootleg No. 1

The Fray have just released a 13-track live CD, available only at key indie stores across the nation. We've got it at CD World!

Oh No! Oh My!: Oh No! Oh My!

We’ll just let the blog “Sandwich Club” describe this up & coming indie phenom: "OH NO! OH MY! seem like the kind of guys that invite you over, and when you get there they're just really happy to see you. And you go into their room and you see that they still have Care Bears on their beds, and you're thinking 'wow these guys grew up on the sunny side of lollypop lane'. But then as you're leaving you find a note in their desk drawer that has a list of the top ten ways they would like to disembowel a cat, complete with diagrams." Their full-length debut is now available at CD World.

Gov't Mule: High & Mighty

In the world of Gov’t Mule, big is best. It’s attitude that serves Gov’t Mule well on their ATO Records release, High & Mighty. Big riffs, massive grooves, and expansive improvisations are the hallmarks of the band’s legendary live shows. Likewise, these twelve songs feature larger-than-life characters bearing life’s heaviest burdens, performed by four mighty musicians - guitar/vocalist Warren Hayes, drummer Matt Abts, keyboardist Danny Louis, and bassist Andy Hess - whose powerful musicianship and tireless work ethic have earned them the respect of their peers, fans and critics alike. High & Mighty was produced by Haynes and Gordie Johnson, former leader of Canada’s acclaimed Big Sugar, and was recorded at Willie Nelson’s famed Pedernales Studio.

Kelis: Kelis Was Here

Kelis Was Here is the sexy, smooth follow up to Tasty. Kelis's first single, 'Bossy' (featuring Too Short) is full of the foxy, hip-hop groove bound to make any man break it down for his woman.

Lamb Of God: Sacrament

Since the epic debut Ashes of Wake two years ago, the amazing, revolutionary band, Lamb of God has come out with another "Pure American Metal" album, entitled Sacrament, full of twisting, intricate, heart-pumping hooks that are sure to get your blood curdling.

Outkast: Idlewild

Stars of the HBO film Idlewild, Andre Benjamin and Antwan Patton - the dynamic, multi-platinum, Grammy-winning duo who comprise the group Outkast - have unleashed another album that is bound to revolutionize mainstream music. Their colorful songs, 'Mighty O', 'Morris Brown', and 'Idlewild Blue' will have you listening and dancing for hours.

*CD World Pick!

Against Me!: Americans Abroad! Against Me L

The title of this record really says it all. While abroad, early in 2006, Against Me! recorded a live record in London. The Mean Fiddler was the chosen location for the audio capture of an intense live set, with the band offering up a prize mix of songs from each of their three full lengths. Seems a bit bizarre that a live record would have a title track, but Americans Abroad!!! Against Me!!! Live In London!!! does, and it’s a brand new song called 'Americans Abroad'.

Alexisonfire: Crisis

Alexisonfire have come a long way over the last couple of years. Now a platinum act up in their home country of Canada, the band has also established itself as a force to be reckon with in many other countries including the US. They’ve done it along the same lines as a lot of the other successful Vagrant acts through touring, word-of-mouth, and writing better songs with each release. Well Alexis have indeed written better songs for the new album, Crisis. Showing a level of maturity and aggression not heard on either of the band’s previous albums, this is indeed the album slated to take the band from big to superstars around the world. Crisis is balanced. It’s heavy. It’s catchy. It shows remarkable growth. It shows that Alexisonfire are indeed ready to break out globally in 2006.

Eric Bachmann: To The Races

His first Saddle Creek release is an unadorned and unapologetically forthright collection of songs. Whereas Bachmann's Crooked Fingers' 2005 effort, Dignity And Shame was his most poppy and immediately accessible album, this one is his most sparse and reflective. Eric's warm vocals and deceptively simple arrangements keep the songs' quiet elegance ardent and complete, only occasionally augmented by Miranda Brown's angelic harmonies or Tom Hagerman's (Devotchka) haunting violin. The record tells stories of self-imposed or unintentional isolation and the common search for, or escape from, some kind of sanctuary.

Casualties: Under Attack

NY's punk veterans return with a brash, brutal new album; thirteen tracks of blistering punk rock, produced by Bill Stevenson (Black Flag, Rise Against, Suicide Machines). Their previous release, On The Front Line has scanned over 62K. Look for them on this summer's Warped Tour and headlining the Punx Unite tour in the fall.

Cursive: Happy Hollow

Their most recent record, The Ugly Organ, racked up considerable accolades: named one of 2003's best records by Blender, called "the best album of (the band's) career" by the NY Times, and given a 4-star rating by Rolling Stone. Happy Hollow is an expansion of their trademark discordant swell, marked by a new bounce, a buoyant strut, and a recognition that hey, this is fun. Dissonant yet distinctively melodic guitar sounds and front man Kasher's ever-cathartic yowl now mesh and clash with horns, piano, accordion, and other instruments. The themes addressed here include shattered American dreams, small town malaise, and religious hypocrisy. Never repeating themselves, always pushing forward artistically, and never settling, Cursive raise the bar with yet another groundbreaking record.

Darker My Love: Darker My Love

The music of California's Darker My Love is guitars drenched in blissed-out fuzz, pulsing drums crashing like waves, and echoing harmonies stretching sky-high. Features ex-members of Distillers and Nerve Agents.

Deadsy: Phantasmagore

A superlative music and art entity since 1996, Deadsy is an innovation whose unique music, image, and fanatical "legion" of fans, provide the band with a strong national base to build upon for their new album, Phantasmagore. Having secured an opening slot on the Family Values Tour in October 2001, just months prior to their Billboard Top 100 chart debut of Commencement in May of 2002, Deadsy continued to criss-cross the country as a highly requested opening act on sold out tours with Papa Roach, Static X, Taproot, and Mindless Self Indulgence. Phantasmagore is a cover-to-cover experience that wholly encapsulates this quest.

Deicide: Stench Of Redemption

2006 release from this controversial Satanic Death Metal band from Florida. Nine tracks including 'Walk With The Devil In Dreams You Behold', 'Homage For Satan', 'Desecration' and more.

Easy Star All-Stars: Radiodread: Complete Reggae Version of OK Computer

The long-awaited follow up to the critically-acclaimed, still-charting-after-three-years Dub Side Of The Moon is a complete reggae version of Radiohead's OK Computer. Featuring guest appearances by Toots & The Maytals, Citizen Cope, Morgan Heritage, Horace Andy, Sugar Minott, Frankie Paul and others, the disc has already been covered by USA Today, NPR, LA Weekly, Village Voice, MTV.com and Pitchfork.com among others, with much more confirmed coverage to come. All Music Guide says "The Easy Star All-Stars not only treat OK Computer with the respect it merits, they successfully re-imagine it, creating a work of art that...should find favor with both Radiohead loyalists and roots reggae purists alike."

Fleetwood Mac: Madison Blues

Two CD set that featuring music from a pivotal period in the evolution of Fleetwood Mac. Following the departure of Peter Green in May 1970, Christine (Perfect) McVie joined Mick Fleetwood, Jeremy Spencer, John McVie and Danny Kirwan and the next chapter in the Fleetwood Mac history book was written. These CDs contain a mixture of studio and live recordings including four rare tracks from the Christine Perfect Band (Christine McVie's outfit following her departure as vocalist for Chicken Shack and before joining the Mac). 29 tracks including 'Hey Baby', 'Jewel-Eyed Judy', 'It's You I Miss' and many more.

Gossip: Gssp Rmx

This is an EP of the second single from the Gossip's popular Kill Rock Stars release, Standing In The Way Of Control. It includes the original version of 'Listen Up' as well as new remixes by the likes of legendary producer Arthur Baker (Afrika Bambaataa, New Order) and DJs MSTRKRFT and A Touch Of Class. The EP also has a remixed version of 'Standing In The Way Of Control' by Le Tigre, and a crowd-pleasing cover of 'Are U That Somebody' by Aaliyah.

Guttermouth: Shave The Planet

The word "punk" is thrown around a lot these days and unfortunately, it's been misrepresented in every way, shape, and form. Then there's California's Guttermouth, the true definition of punk rock: loud, fast, and truly offensive. This is their tenth album. Their infamous tongue-in-cheek humor and hyper songs remain poignant to the times today; lambasting the politicians, the scenesters, and even their own audience.

Dave Hollister: Definitive Collection

Dave Hollister: The Definitive Collection features the best tracks from his 4 solo albums on Def Squad, Dreamworks and Motown, from 'Baby Mama Drama' to 'Good Ole Ghetto. Also includes his two best-known hits as lead singer of Blackstreet. Hard-to-find bonus tracks: 'Keep On Lovin' You (original version) from a 2002 compilation album, now out of print, and 'Spirit,' one of Hollister’s earliest recordings as a member of Force One Network, from the soundtrack to Boyz N The Hood.

Hundred Year Storm: Hello From The Children Of Planet Earth

This Austin band's approach is simple: to write unforgettable, creative songs, but not limiting them to your typical four-minute pop song. The album explores everything from your basic love song to a nine-minute instrumental that uses NASA loops as opposed to lyrics. Their honest look at passion, sorrow, joy, and other emotions have made them a favorite at virtually every venue.

Lamb Of God: Sacrament

Deluxe Edition CD with DVD. Since the epic debut of their album Ashes of Wake two years ago, the amazing, revolutionary band, Lamb of God has come out with another "Pure American Metal" album, entitled Sacrament, full of twisting, intricate, heart-pumping hooks that are sure to get your blood curdling.

Lambchop: Damaged

Their tenth full-length is yet another stunning collection of songs written by Kurt Wagner and brought to life by up to seventeen band members and collaborators. Eschewing the overt country influences of early Lambchop records and the R&B and soul influences of mid-period albums for a hushed austerity that is uniquely southern yet oddly universal, Damaged continues in the quiet and haunting tradition pioneered on the past three Lambchop albums (Is A Woman, Aw C'mon, and No You C'mon).

Mountain Goats: Get Lonely

Get Lonely is every bit as assured as its predecessor, The Sunset Tree, but the mood is entirely different. Sunset chronicled the fraught, violent relationship between John Darnielle and his stepfather and derived its power from an unblinking exorcism of personal demons, while Get Lonely is the haunted aftermath. It's a reflective, intimate record. The mood is one of bittersweet resignation rather than cathartic release. It's a quiet triumph, murmuring with a modest but entirely surefooted confidence. An uncannily coherent and subtly redemptive record which will come to be seen as Mountain Goats' most resonant, assured, and magical collection of songs so far.

Nouvelle Vague: Bande A Part

In 2005, the French duo's eponymous debut introduced their singular take on post-punk nuggets by the likes of Joy Division, Depeche Mode, Tuxedo Moon, and The Undertones, recasting them as svelte, sophisticated bossa nova-inflected chansons. This follow-up is a beguiling, retro-futurist odyssey, containing covers of Echo & The Bunnymen, The Buzzcocks, Lords Of The New Church, Billy Idol, U2, Blondie, New Order, The Cramps, Bauhaus, The Smiths, and more. "...a beautiful, melancholy exercise in deconstructing familiar songs and reassembling trace amounts of the melodies into fresh music" - Boston Globe. "Fresh (and refreshing) takes on these classics...The songs are so wildly different in their dreamy form that they stand on their own" - Flaunt.

Primal Scream: Riot City Blues

Exclusive US pressing features three bonus tracks, 'Stone Ya to the Bone', 'Gimme Some Truth' (John Lennon cover) and 'Suicide Sally & Johnny Guitar' (Live). Also included is the enhanced video to the first single 'Country Girl'. Riot City Blues' is Primal Scream's follow-up album to the electro-tinged Evil Heat, although it could easily be compared in style and content to their 1994 masterpiece Give Out But Don't Give In. Bluesy, punky swagger and New York Dolls-esque melodies abound, marking this album out as a more organic affair than Bobby Gillespie & Co's previous two albums. Recorded at London's Olympic Studios and produced by former Killing Joke bassist Youth. Features guest contributions from Will Sergeant (Echo & The Bunnymen), Warren Ellis (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds) and Alison Mosshart (The Kills).

*CD World Pick!

Radio Birdman: Zeno Beach

Yep Roc Records has the distinct honor of releasing Zeno Beach, the first album of all-new material from Australia's Radio Birdman since their breakup over 25 years ago. Radio Birdman's reputation as one of the pioneering bands in punk music has grown steadily over the years. Despite the fact that their first record, Radios Appear, was criminally under-promoted and the follow-up, Living Eyes, was not even released until after their break up, Radio Birdman garnered a worldwide cult following among generations of connoisseurs of gutsy, no frills rock and roll. Zeno Beach is a long-overdue new chapter in the Radio Birdman story. The results are no proto-punk museum piece, but rather vital new music entirely worthy of a place alongside Radio Birdman's earliest gems.

Ratatat: Classics

Classics remains resolutely instrumental, but the band has introduced a wealth of new sounds, from acoustic and slide guitar to sleigh bells and cello. Their vastly improved production and writing makes this record a refinement of their art. "Ratatat lay squealing metal harmonies over choppy Neptunes-style dance thumps, then break into pastoral waves of keyboard tone, riding dub tempos and hip-hop struts. They're crotch-pumping arena pimps and introverted minimalists..." - Blender. "Stroud and Mast have come up with some catchy melodies over light, snappy bass lines in what sounds like something tailored for the headphones" - Urb. The band has toured with Interpol, The Killers, Franz Ferdinand, The Stills, and Mouse On Mars.

Razorlight: Razorlight

UK's own Johnny Borrell & band return with a highly anticipated sophomore release. Razorlight quickly rose to fame in the London music during the summer of 2004. their debut album Up All Night entered the UK album chart at #1. 12 months and one million albums later, Razorlight has received numerous awards and nominations overseas including Q magazine and NME. Produced by legendary Beatles, Sex Pistols, Pink Floyd and Roxy Music producer Chris Thomas, Razorlight's highly anticipated sophomore release is already the recipient of amazing reviews and press across the pond.

Reel Big Fish: Our Live Album Is Better Than Your Live Album

Platinum selling pop-punk-ska act Reel Big Fish, fresh off of Jive Records, claim their independence with a 2-CD/1-DVD best of live collection. The band hopes, with the live album, which includes all the band’s hits and fan favorites, as well as a Cure cover and a new, never-before-released song, to please existing fans and win many more new ones.

Skye: Mind How You Go

Former Morcheeba singer's first solo album featuring production by Pat Leonard (Pink Floyd, Madonna) and Daniel Lanois (U2). There is much that is familiar on Mind How You Go - the connection to Morcheeba, the beguiling quality of Skye's voice, the potent melodies that bury themselves deep inside your brain, the cool elegance of her delivery. It's a sublime collection of vivid songs that present Skye in an entirely new light. "Skye's record fits on the shelf next to Big Calm as a pleasing lilting collection of electro-flecked soothers" - Time Out.

Spencer/Dickinson: Man Who Lives For Love

Jon Spencer, heart-attack front man of the Blues Explosion and shudder-and-shake specialist of rockabilly wildmen Heavy Trash, takes on Luther and Cody Dickinson, masterminds of the North Mississippi All-Stars, in a no-holds-barred Mississippi Mud Fight, and the result is a rock'n'roll rumble and a darker side of soul! "I was a little messed up in the head anyway," confesses Spencer, telling the tale of this backwoods electric throw-down, recorded with producer, wizard, and legendary Memphis musician Jim Dickinson at his Zebra Ranch. "It was freezing cold. It was tough, just a barn with a space heater. We got that freak element. We got the groovy hate vibe. We got weird."

Starsailor: On The Outside

Starsailor have created an impassioned statement, a record of real honesty and urgency. Galvanized like never before, this UK band have produced their best work to date. CD contains the bonus track 'Empty Streets', not available outside the US. Also available is an expanded version CD with bonus DVD. Recorded with producer Rob Schnapf (Beck, The Vines, Elliott Smith).

*CD World Pick!

Thermals: Body The Blood The Machine

With a wider, brighter, and wilder sound than anything they've done in the past, this record adds walls of guitars, organs, and even a few "ballads" (aka slightly pretty songs) to the mix, while still retaining the gritty post-pop-punk sound for which they're globally famous. Recorded in the band's hometown of Portland, OR by Fugazi's Brendan Canty.

Tortoise: Lazarus Taxon

After twelve years of expanding the definition of rock music, Tortoise will release a highly anticipated box set, including the long out of print 1995 album Rhythms, Resolutions & Clusters, rare singles from foreign releases and tour EPs, compilation tracks, and previously unreleased material such as remixes by band members and other artists, including Jim O'Rourke, Brad Wood, Rick Brown, Steve Albini, and Mike Watt. The set's title comes from the paleontological term for a reappearing species, and the release is comprised of three CDs and one DVD, the latter of which contains two hours of footage, several extended live performances, and videos and short films. Packaging is a hard card stock box containing four sleeves and a 20-page booklet with archival photos and liner notes about each track's origins.

Uzeda: Stella

Uzeda is a four piece from Catania, Sicily, known for its close proximity to Mt. Etna, a volcano so consistently explosive that it makes the most obvious and closest comparison to Uzeda's music. The songs they create ebb and flow like molten lava. "The Sicilian agro-math quartet doesn't just keep up with its American counterparts; it transcends the expectations of fans and tour mates Shellac, Fugazi, and June Of 44. And at moments...the album is one of the most intense things producer Steve Albini has put his name on since Big Black" - Chicago Reader.

Luther Vandross: Ultimate Luther Vandross

The Ultimate Luther Vandross brings together all of his major hits, plus 2 new songs previously unreleased anywhere, 'Shine' and 'Got You Home', as well as recently discovered gems from Vandross's early sessions with J Records.

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