In The Groove
The Flaming Lips
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots: 20th Anniversary [Super Deluxe Edition 5LP]
Vinyl: $102.99 Buy
First Two Pages of Frankenstein is The Nationals ninth studio album. This 11-song collection signals a new chapter in the bands discography. Anchored by evocative melodies and an enthralling lyrical narrative, First Two Pages of Frankenstein finds The National sounding more creatively energized than ever and poised to earn them even more fans. The album was produced by the band at Long Pond Studios in upstate New York and features guest appearances by Taylor Swift (The Alcott), Phoebe Bridgers (This Isnt Helping and Your Mind Is Not Your Friend) and Sufjan Stevens (Once Upon a Poolside).
72 seasons. The first 18 years of our lives that form our true or false selves. The concept that we were told who we are by our parents. A possible pigeonholing around what kind of personality we are. I think the most interesting part of this is the continued study of those core beliefs and how it affects our perception of the world today. Much of our adult experience is reenactment or reaction to these childhood experiences. Prisoners of childhood or breaking free of those bondages we carry.
-James Hetfield
Guitar virtuosos Rodrigo y Gabriela have announced the follow-up to the GRAMMY-winning album Mettavolution. In Between ThoughtsA New World is the duos first full-length album in four years. It is a spontaneously composed, yet unified work which brings the same expansion of consciousness that inspired its creation. Self-produced in Ixtapa, Mexico, the album sees Rodrigo y Gabriela building on their original sound to include electronics and orchestral elements.
HOPE is the 5th studio album from Billboard chart-topping, multi-platinum rapper, NF. Known for rapping quick-witted lyrics over hip hop beats & cinematic production, NF has built a loyal fanbase that has earned him over 30 billion global streams & established NF as one of the most consumed artists today. NFs HOPE is a 13-track album boasting instant hits, such as HAPPY MOTTO & notable Grammy-nominated features with singer/songwriter Julia Michaels on GONE, & rapper Cordae on CAREFUL.
From the start, Dublins Lankum planned for False Lankum, their fourth record and third for Rough Trade, to feel like a complete piece a progression and a journey for the listener. They explain, we wanted to create more contrast on the record so the light parts would be almost spiritual and the dark parts would be incredibly dark, even horror inducing. The albums 12 tracks, composed of 10 traditional songs and two originals, show the four-piece using a new palate to color their sound in an increasingly experimental way, alongside longtime producer John Spud Murphy.
Overcoats, the inventive duo compromised of JJ Mitchell and Hana Elion, have announced their forthcoming eagerly awaited new studio album, Winner, set for release on April 7th via their imprint, Never Fall Back Records, distributed by Thirty Tigers.
The new album Winner was produced by two-time Grammy-winner Daniel Tashian (a co-producer on Kacey Musgravess widely acclaimed Golden Hour), and exhibits a graceful musicality first displayed on Overcoats debut album YOUNG (a 2017 release that earned praise from the likes of The New York Times and NPR Music, who placed it at #4 on its best-of-the-year list). As a bold departure from YOUNGs sparse electronic pop and the atmospheric indie-rock of The Fight (a 2020 release that nabbed them a Breakthrough Artist nomination from the American Association of Independent Music), the album encompasses a warm and luminous sound sculpted from a tightly curated mix of elements: earthy guitar tones, elegantly rugged textures, and the duos heavenly harmonies. In staying true to their origins, Overcoats also incorporated frenetic beats that perfectly echo New Yorks pulsating electricity.
In November, Overcoats released their first new song since 2021, Horsegirl, also featured on the upcoming new album. Produced and co-written with Day Wave, the lilting, dreamy Horsegirl sees Overcoats crafting a hypnotic, hum-in-the-sun pop song. The video was directed by Overcoats and Casey Pierce and sees the pair in the lush fields of Amy Grants Tennessee farm doing a single take sing-a-long, wearing prairie inspired vintage dresses from Nashvilles Starstruck Vintage.
Having previously toured with such notable artists as Mitski, Maggie Rogers, Cold War Kids, Tennis and The Japanese House, Overcoats look forward to returning to the road this spring. 2023 promises to be a significant year for the acclaimed band, with more new music to be unveiled over the coming weeks.
The Wood Brothers have learned to trust their hearts. For the better part of two decades, they've cemented their reputation as freethinking songwriters, road warriors, and community builders, creating a catalog of diverse music and a loyal audience whove grown alongside them through the years. That evolution continues with Heart is the Hero, the band's eighth studio album. Recorded analog to 16-track tape, this latest effort finds its three creators embracing the chemistry of their acclaimed live shows by capturing their performances in real-time direct from the studio floor with nary a computer in sight. An acoustic-driven album that electrifies, Heart is the Hero is stocked with songs that target not only the heart, but the head and hips, too.
"We love records that come from the era of less tracks and more care," explains co-founder Oliver Wood. "When you use a computer during the tracking process, you have an infinite number of tracks at your disposal, which implies that nothing is permanent, and everything can be fixed. Tape gives you limitations that force you to be creative and intentional. You don't look at the music on a screen; you listen to it, and you learn to focus on the feeling of the performance.
Throughout Heart is the Hero, those performances are matched by the visceral storytelling and songwriting chops that have turned The Wood Brothers into Grammy-nominated leaders of American roots music, even as their music reaches far beyond the genre's borders. The stripped-down swagger of "Pilgrim'' underscores Oliver's reminder to slow down and experience each moment as an interactive observer, rather than a passive tourist. A similar theme anchors Between the Beats," where Oliver draws upon a meditation technique maintaining one's focus on the space between heartbeats to reach a new level of presence. The gentle sway of country soul gem Rollin On, featuring horns by Matt Glassmeyer and Roy Agee, expounds on the time-honored tradition of love as the guiding light through darkness, while Mean Man World" finds Chris Wood singing about his responsibilities as a father whose young daughter is poised to inherit an uncertain future. "Line Those Pockets'' is a universal call for mercy and understanding over materialism. "Everybody's just trying to be happy, so put your money away; line those pockets with grace," the band sings in three-part harmony during the song's chorus, which emphasizes compassion over cash as the world's true currency. Together, these songs offer a snapshot of a spirited, independent-minded group at the peak of its powers, always pushing forward and seeking to evolve beyond whats come before.
"There's still acoustic guitar, upright bass, and percussion on this album things people use all the time but we're always thinking, 'How can we make this sound like us, but not like something we've already done?'" Oliver says. "Sometimes, the only way to do that is to get weird.
That sense of exploration pumps its way through Heart is the Hero like lifeblood. Arriving on the heels of 2019's Live at The Fillmore, 2020's Kingdom In My Mind, and Oliver Wood's solo album Always Smilin' all of which were released on Honey Jar Records, the band's independent label Heart is the Hero is bold, bright, and singularly creative, a fully realized collective effort ultimately greater than the sum of its parts. Perhaps that's to be expected from a group whose willingness to experiment has earned acclaim from Rolling Stone and NPR, as well as an annual touring schedule of sold-out music halls and theaters on both sides of the Atlantic. Ask The Wood Brothers, though, and they'll tell you to expect the unexpected.
"We are never satisfied if we are not searching for new musical recipes," says Jano Rix, nodding to the uncharted territory that Heart is the Hero covers. Chris Wood agrees, adding, "We are one of those bands that isn't easily categorized. We know what our strengths are, but we cant help but push the envelope, as well. Its too much fun."
Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd is the ninth studio album from acclaimed singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey, comprising 16 tracks and interludes with features including Father John Misty, Tommy Genesis, Jon Batiste, Bleachers and more. It follows the prolific artist's 2021 albums Chemtrails Over The Country Club and Blue Banisters.
Kristian Matsson has never remained in one place for very long. Having spent much of thelast decade touring around the world as The Tallest Man on Earth, Matsson has captivatedaudiences using, as The New York Times describes, every inch of his long guitar cord toroam the stage: darting around, crouching, stretching, hip-twitching, perching briefly andjittering away...Mr. Matsson is a guitar-slinger rooted in folk, and his songs are troubadourballads at heart.
Now, Matsson returns as The Tallest Man on Earth with Henry St., his sixth studio albumfollowing 2012s Theres No Leaving Now, full of vivid imagery, clever turns-of-phrase,and devastating, world-weary observations (Under The Radar) and 2015s Dark Bird Is AHome, his most personal record... surreal and dreamlike (Pitchfork). Henry St. notablymarks the first time he recorded an album in a band setting. My entire career Ive beena DIY personmostly fueled by the feeling that I didnt know what I was doing, so Id justdo everything myself. But now, longing for the energy thats only released when creatingtogether with others, Matsson invited his friends to come and play.
Nick Sanborn (of Sylvan Esso) produced Henry St., which includes contributions from RyanGustafson (of The Dead Tongues) on guitar, lap steel and ukulele, TJ Maiani on drums, CJCamerieri (of Bon Iver) on trumpet and French horn, Phil Cook on piano and organ, RobMoose (of Bon Iver, yMusic) on strings and Adam Schatz on saxophone.

I was finally able to trust myself fully, says Indigo DeSouza of making her masterful third albumAllof This Will End.Across 11 its songs, the LPis a raw and radically optimistic workthat grapples with mortality, the rejuvenation that community brings, and theimportance of centering yourself now. These tracks come from the most resonantmoments of her life: childhood memories, collecting herself in parking lots,the ecstatic trips spent wandering Appalachian mountains and southern swampswith friends, and the times she had to stand up forherself. All of This Will Endfeels more true tome than anything ever has, she says.
In many ways,All ofThis Will Endhas become a personal motto for Indigo. Every day I wake upwith the thought that this could be the end, she says. You could look at itas a sad thing, or you could look at itas a really precious thing: Today I'malive and at some point, I will not be in this body anymore. But for now, I cando so much with being alive. Theres a peacefulness in acceptance throughout.As she sings onthe title track, Im only loving only moving through andtrying my best / Sometimes its not enough but Im still real and I forgive.She describes the experience of writing this song as magic, as if everythingabout it from the words and melody had felt timeless and intangible and thatshe was just writing it down. Like the hues of reds and oranges that her motherpainted on the LP cover,All of This WillEndmarks awarmer and unmistakably audacious era for her. Its a statementabout fearlessly moving forward from the past into a gratitude-filled present,feeling it all every step of the way, and choosing to embody lovingawareness.
Easy Star All-Stars return with their first new tribute album in over a decade! This is the first single from the upcoming April 2023 release of ZIGGY STARDUB, a reggae re-imagining of David Bowie's entire The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars album. This first single features the legendary Maxi Priest on vocals. As usual, the All-Stars bring an unparalleled attention to detail and creativity to their version of this timeless Bowie classic.
After seven years, Daughter are back a generational band with well over 1 billion streams across three records. Since their debut in 2013, Elena Tonras intimate, crushingly honest lyrics have been a lifeline for the bands fans, whilst also finding a gateway to the likes of alternative giants Phoebe Bridgers and Bon Iver. Be On Your Way is warmly optimistic in tone, finding a lightness in Tonras poetry, whilst still desperately evoking an emotional resonance unmatched in the alternative space.
Nigerian-American musician, songwriter and producer Joy Oladokun announces her new album, Proof of Life, out April 28, 2023 on Amigo/Verve Forecast/Republic Records. Her third original full-length album vividly captures the human experience with a profound simplicity, celebrating the little details and simple pleasures of being alive, while giving voice to some of lifes most complex experiences in a way only she can. The album boasts feats from Chris Stapleton, Noah Kahan, Mt. Joy and more.

Renowned singer, songwriter, musician, artist and best-selling author Josh Ritter will release his anticipated new album, Spectral Lines, April 28 via Thirty Tigers.
Produced by Ritters longtime collaborator Sam Kassirer (Lake Street Dive, Langhorne Slim), Spectral Lines finds Ritter expanding beyond the bounds of his previous work to create a record both atmospheric and profound. Dedicated to the memory of his mother, Ritter searches for commonality across these ten seamless tracks by exploring lifes most universal ideaslove, devotion and what it means to be connected, to both each other and to ourselves.
I think its important for us to share some of our most basic and common experiences with each other, however we can. Thats what we really, really need right now. I know we have common experiences, and its important to telegraph those back because they dont have to be lonely experiences. - Josh Ritter
One of todays most thoughtful and prolific voices, Ritter has released ten studio albums including 2019s widely acclaimed, Fever Breaks, of which NPR Music praised, He remains a hydrant of ideas while embodying an endless capacity for empathy and indignation, often within a single song. In addition to his work as a musician, Ritter is also a national best-selling author, having released two novels to date: 2011s Brights Passage and 2021s The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All, for which the film rights have recently been optioned for development. Released to critical attention, Stephen King wrote in The New York Times Book Review that Brights Passage shines with a compressed lyricism that recalls Ray Bradbury in his primeThis is the work of a gifted novelist.
In celebration of the new record, Ritter and his band, the Royal City Band, will return to the road in spring 23 with headline shows at Chicagos Thalia Hall, Nashvilles historic Ryman Auditorium, Washington, DCs Lincoln Theatre, Philadelphias Keswick Theatre, Bostons House of Blues and New Yorks Beacon Theatre among others. Visit www.joshritter.com for full details.
In addition to Ritter (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar) and Kassirer (piano, organ, mellotron, synthesizers, drums), Spectral Lines also features Jocie Adams (clarinet, synthesizers, background vocals), Matt Douglas (woodwinds), Zachariah Hickman (upright bass, electric bass), Rich Hinman (electric guitar, pedal steel), Shane Leonard (drums, percussion, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass), Kevin OConnell (drums, percussion, electric bass, electric guitar) and Dietrich Strause (acoustic guitar, electric guitar).
"Everything clicks on Safe to Run, the fourth album from singer, songwriter Esther Rose. Its the quiet culmination of years spent fully immersed in a developing artistry, and presents Roses always vividly detailed emotional scenes with new levels of clarity and control. As with previous work, her songwriting transfigures the chaos and uncertainty of a life in progress, but here she introduces a newfound pop element that attaches unshakably catchy hooks to even the darkest stretches of the journey.
Rose takes an unblinking look at her own vulnerabilities as well as more universal concerns, somehow never taking herself too seriously in the process. This manifests as a critique of the insidious sexism of the music industry on Dream Girl, but quickly melts into a hazy memoryscape of the dive bar drama and suspended hovering of her early 20s on Chet Baker. The song Safe to Run (a gorgeous duet with Hurray for the Riff Raffs Alynda Segarra) directly merges the personal with the global, superimposing feelings of spiritual displacement onto the larger, looming dread of climate grief. Rose breathes in the ecstasy of the natural world in one line and makes fun of herself a few bars later. There are ghosts in the room for most of her songs, but shes invited them in and is cracking jokes with them over a drink or two.
Ultimately all of these new advancements become twinkles of light in the background as they fold into the big picture impact of the songs themselves. Esther Rose translates her world into eleven curious and captivating scenes. While the songs are stunning one by one, absorbing Safe to Run as a whole feels like witnessing something taking shape, experiencing the headspins of the elevation and the slow return to equilibrium as the clouds start clearing."
Ben Platt / Micaela Diamond / Jason Robert Brown
Parade (2023 Broadway Cast Recording)
CD: $15.00 Buy