Big Freedia and Little Feat. Swans and Geese. Eric Clapton and Albert Hammond. Bobbie Nelson and Amanda Shires. Police covers and Militarie Gun originals. Toss in new releases (or reissues) from Dream Syndicate, M. Ward, Portugal. The Man, Vintage Trouble and Watson Twins — among many others — and you’ve got a lot of listening ahead of you next week. And I’m not even bothering with all the big-name pop divas with albums on the way. Let’s get the ball rolling:
Big Freedia
Central City
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Big Freedia, the undisputed Queen Diva of New Orleans bounce music, opens mark a new chapter for the genre with the fresh sound of Central City. Set to captivate audiences, the LP features an all-star lineup of collaborators, including Lil Wayne, Faith Evans, Ciara, Kelly Price and more. With her infectious energy and powerful presence, Big Freedia has become a trailblazer in the music industry, bringing the vibrant spirit of New Orleans to the global stage. Known for her dynamic performances and groundbreaking contributions to the bounce genre, Big Freedia has earned a dedicated fan base that eagerly awaits each new release. Reflecting on her artistic journey and the evolution of bounce music, Big Freedia shares, “Bounce has been through many iterations — from Triggerman to Sissy to Cash Money Bounce — but my new album is something I call Bigga Bounce. Welcome to Central City, y’all, where I pay homage to my city, my roots, hip-hop, and to the art of creating a new sound.”
Cable Ties
All Her Plans
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “All Her Plans, the third album from Melbourne, Australia’s Cable Ties, finds the trio of Jenny McKechnie, Shauna Boyle and Nick Brown at their punchiest and most assured. Their ferocious, kraut-influenced blend of post-punk and garage rock Enough remains, but McKechnie’s lyrics invite the listener closer than ever before. The urgency and fury that have marked Cable Ties’ output thus far is more nuanced on All Her Plans. The unfettered rage of their calls to action endures tackling subjects like broken mental healthcare systems and the burden of familial care that is largely placed on women while holding space for gratitude, love, and acceptance. All Her Plans is a breakthrough moment for Cable Ties. It is the sound of a group that is exhilarated to be making music together again, both a celebration of their resilience and a massive step forward into a future they can finally claim as their own.”
Eric Clapton
The Definitive 24 Nights
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Royal Albert Hall is Eric Clapton’s home away from home in London. Since his debut at the historic venue with The Yardbirds in 1964, Clapton has performed there over 200 times (and counting), more than any other artist. He also holds the record for the longest run of concerts at the venue. He set it in 1990 with 18 shows, then broke it the following year with 24 concerts. They were some of the most ambitious shows of Clapton’s career. Each night featured him performing a career-spanning set with one of three lineups — a rock band, a blues band, or an orchestra. To commemorate that record-setting run, Clapton released 24 Nights in October 1991. The double live album and home video delivered great performances but only covered a fraction of what was filmed and recorded. That’s about to change. Warner Records is giving the concerts the release they deserve this summer with The Definitive 24 Nights. This limited-edition boxed set includes nearly six hours of live music, and 35 unreleased performances. The collection distills Clapton’s 1990-91 Albert Hall residencies using the best performances from the rock, blues, and orchestral nights to create full concerts for each genre.”
Lloyd Cole
On Pain
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Through both his work being the front man of The Commotions and his solo career, Lloyd Cole established himself as one of the most articulate and acute songwriters of the post-punk era. Undergoing several artistic shifts, from minimalistic to folk-rock-inspired to electronic, Cole’s work never compromised the high creative value that he has proven to provide over his distinguished career. His artistic integrity and proven divergence make him one of the most capable and remarkable songwriters to this day. Cole’s latest work On Pain — his 13th solo album — consists mainly of electronic sounds. Once Cole had formulated a sonic picture of the record he wanted to make, the arrival of each new song gradually brought that picture into focus. His distinguishable voice and sophisticated lyricism invite the listener into the mindset of someone who has reached old age and is coming to terms with this. At times, the experience of listening to On Pain is akin to sitting in a sleek, state-of-the-art departure lounge, unsure of quite where you’re waiting to go.”
Stewart Copeland
Police Deranged for Orchestra
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Stewart Copeland, influential drummer for seminal ’80s band The Police and acclaimed film, opera, and orchestral composer, continues his musical journey with Police Deranged for Orchestra. With his latest album, Copeland explores the band’s best-known tracks through a new lens, inspired by his recent forays into expansive musical forms and instrumentation. The LP revisits Police hits newly arranged for full orchestra alongside bassist Armand Sabal Lecco (Paul Simon), guitarist Rusty Anderson (Paul McCartney), and vocalists Amy Keys, Carmel Helene and Ashley Támar. Percussion and drums were arranged, orchestrated, and co-produced by Copeland. The music was conducted and co-produced by Edwin Outwater and produced and mixed by Craig Stuart Garfinkle. Copeland explains that the “derangement” of The Police’s music began as a score for a movie he made out of Super8 footage of the band that he had shot during their rise to glory. He says: “Film puts capricious demands on music, so I had to carve up the songs to serve the scenes in the movie, and once the scalpel was out, a whole new frenzy of inspiration from Police music began.”
The Dream Syndicate
History Kinda Pales When It and You Are Aligned: The Days Of Wine and Roses 40th Anniversary Edition
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The 40th-anniversary edition of The Dream Syndicate’s landmark album The Days Of Wine And Roses includes 54 songs from the band’s original lineup, including 10 hard-to-find rarities and 31 previously unreleased recordings. An exceptional early ‘80s guitar-powered gem that has been remastered in full, this newly expanded four-CD collection includes tracks from main protagonist Steve Wynn’s earlier combo 15 Minutes, Dream Syndicate‘s debut EP, astounding cover renditions of Johnny Cash, Janis Joplin and The Who, recordings of the band’s first rehearsal, and several visceral live concerts from the pre-album era. This beautifully house bookback edition also includes 30 pages of liner notes by band historian Pat Thomas, new interviews with Kendra Smith, engineer Paul Cutler and producer Chris D, rare photos, gig posters and more.”
Gadsby & Sköl
Gadsby & Sköl
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Toronto 1970. Three young guys, heavily influenced by Blue Cheer and Jimi Hendrix, get together to form a band. Featuring Charles Gadsby on guitar and vocals, Rick Skol on drums and vocals, and Drew Tjernstrom on bass, the nascent outfit call themselves Gadsby & Skol. After much rehearsing they start to play local shows, but soon decide they need to do some more work on their sound. In the end, the project stalls and they go their separate ways. Then in 1995, Gadsby finds an old rehearsal tape, and contacts the other two guys to suggest that they get back together to record the album they would have made back in 1970 if they’d ever got a recording deal. Using the rehearsal tape as a template, they re-create their original sound and a little while later the recordings you have here are completed, and an album’s worth of material is ready and waiting.
The album eventually makes a brief appearance on a limited-edition British CD in 2001. Here it is on vinyl for the first time, with a new, improved sleeve, just how it was meant to be.”
Geese
3D Country
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Brooklyn quintet Geese’s sophomore album 3D Country was co-produced by the band and James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Depeche Mode, Shame). The album’s 11 tracks are an explosion in both scope and vision for the group. In the summer of 2021, Geese emerged from out of nowhere, sparking a hype cycle unlike anything that had been seen for a young American rock band in recent memory. Suddenly a band that had previously planned to release some music, break up, and go away to college was touring the world. And during this entire process, that very same band everyone was getting to know ceased to exist. On a practical level, Geese are still the group we were introduced to in 2021: Vocalist Cameron Winter, guitarist Gus Green, guitarist Foster Hudson, bassist Dom DiGesu and drummer Max Bassin. But spiritually, Geese have returned as an entirely different prospect. 3D Country is the sound of a restless, adventurous band redefining themselves.”
Albert Hammond Jr.
Melodies On Hiatus
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Pop/rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. is a member of the Grammy and Brit Award-winning band The Strokes. His fifth solo album Melodies On Hiatus is a 19-track albumwork crafted in a most experimental style. Albert teamed up with his writing partner, Canadian songwriter and poet Simon Wilcox (whom he never met during the process) and had lengthy conversations on the telephone; Simon would jot down notes from Albert’s stream of consciousness, and draft lyrics on her typewriter, and drop them into his letterbox. Albert added the lyrics to the melodies he had already crafted. The songwriting process became a long distant “anonymous love affair of ideas & lyrics.” The album covers themes of childhood, surviving adolescence, adulthood, vulnerability, fame, relationship with self and others. The album also features songs with GoldLink, Matt Helders (Arctic Monkeys), Steve Stevens and Rainsford.”
Cory Hanson
Western Cum
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Cory Hanson’s third solo LP follows 2020’s luminescent Pale Horse Rider, upping the heat to molten levels, six strings at a time. In search of further adventures, Cory draws with vampiric glee from the madness coursing through the world outside; a spiralling shitshow that’s reawakened a compulsion in him — an old ambition, even! — to crush brutality and elegance together into a fresh set of rocks to hail down upon us. Western Cum is a high-stepping, hard-dancing, first love / heartbreak, tonight’s-the-night, future nostalgia kind of good time — the sound of guitars through the speakers of luxury cars. Harmony leads are just the tip of the iceberg – the guitars like to melt everything in their path. The eight songs of Western Cum are driven by the stalwart bass of brother Casey Hanson and the drums of Evan Backer, with a few passing acoustics from Cory and the intermittent spirit-moans of Tyler Nuffer’s steel guitar. The quartet sound — two guitars, bass and drums — acts as beat-making principle / phrasing device, as well as template for Cory’s layers of six-string and vocal textures. From the rooftop of their musical safe house — the band in their makeshift hut and Cory ensconced in an outhouse — they let loose with a blast both face-melting and mind- blowing.”
Little Feat
Dixie Chicken + Sailin’ Shoes Deluxe Editions
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Two of Little Feat’s best — Sailin’ Shoes and Dixie Chicken — have been newly remastered for upcoming Deluxe Editions that will introduce unreleased live and studio recordings that capture peak Feat. Sailin’ Shoes Deluxe Edition opens with a newly remastered version of the original album, which included signature tunes like Easy To Slip, the title track and Willin’. Several outtakes from the album’s recording sessions make their debut here, including alternate versions of Cold, Cold, Cold, A Apolitical Blues and Willin’, along a with a newly discovered and previously unreleased complete show recorded at the Palladium in L.A. on Aug. 28, 1971. Dixie Chicken Deluxe Edition contains the newly remastered album, which features classics like Two Trains, Fat Man In The Bathtub and the title track. Several unreleased session recordings debut in the new set, including alternate versions of Roll Um Easy, On Your Way Down and Juliette, plus an unreleased live set recorded at Paul’s Mall in Boston on March 1, 1973.”
Militarie Gun
Life Under The Gun
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Militarie Gun are a truly uncategorizable band. Led by vocalist Ian Shelton, the band’s debut full-length Life Under The Gun is almost impossible to describe without bouncing between contradictions. Is it abnormally aggressive pop music or is it unusually catchy hardcore? Is it deeply intellectual or is it satisfyingly primal? Is it a vulnerable attempt to unpack lifelong cycles of hurt, or is it a collection of world-beating, absurdist punk anthems? In the end, the answer is obvious: it’s all of it. It’s Militarie Gun. Since forming in 2020, the group have been releasing music and touring at a startling rate, and Life Under The Gun feels like a culmination of this recent hard-earned momentum. The album’s 12 tracks take all of the best parts of Militarie Gun’s earlier work and amps them up to the highest possible degree. It sounds massive without sacrificing the punk spark–full of driving drums, distorted bass lines, and of course Shelton’s instantly recognizable roar–only this time everything is bigger and even catchier. “This is what I thought we sounded like all along,” Shelton laughs. “It’s always felt like a melody-forward band to me, but I think now we’re finally achieving what I was always setting out to do.”
Nat Myers
Yellow Peril
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “I’m always searching,” says the Korean-American blues poet Nat Myers. “Itinerancy is something that I’ve owned. I’ve done a lot of traveling, but lately it’s started to seep into my songwriting and my music. Life just feels simpler on the road. You’re just trying to get to the next place in one piece.” His debut album Yellow Peril is full of jumpy blues songs about hopping trains, burning up highways, running from some danger but also running toward something harder to define and even harder to catch. Full of intelligence and soul, contradiction and nuance, these songs reflect his restlessness and wanderlust in their fleet riffs, complex rhythms, and quick tempos, as he draws from a variety of stylistic strains and historical threads to weave a complex epic about life in post-pandemic America. Steeped in history, in poetry, in old 78s, Yellow Peril nevertheless sounds current, capturing its creator’s idiosyncrasies as well as the country’s contradictions. Not only did these songs help Myers connect with his own heritage, but they allow him to keep moving through America — onward as well as upward.”
Bobbie Nelson & Amanda Shires
Loving You
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Loving You is a reflection on the life and music of Bobbie Nelson,” says Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Amanda Shires. Shires’ mission in making Loving You is to pay respect to the only woman she saw working in a band and pursuing a career as a sideman. “I first saw Bobbie playing when I was 16 at some festival in Texas where I grew up,” she explains. “Much of my path seemed possible because I saw a woman working and making a career of music at a young age, and that woman was Bobbie Nelson.” Nelson’s musical career dates back to the 1940s. Naturally gifted on the piano, she played in churches, revival tents, concert halls and honky-tonks, eventually joining her brother Willie Nelson’s Family Band in the early ’70s. Shires and Nelson got together in 2021 to record at Arlyn Studios in Austin, Texas — a facility co-owned and operated by Nelson’s son Freddy Fletcher. Loving You features songs Nelson and Shires played and treasured their entire lives, along with Nelson’s own elegant solo piano title cut. The album would eventually trace Nelson’s musical story and personal journey.”
Portugal. The Man
Chris Black Changed My Life
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Over the past decade, Portugal. The Man have established themselves as one of rock’s most prized possessions and a live phenomenon, with over 1,600 shows under their belts and a storied reputation as festival favorites. Originally heralding from Alaska, the Portland-based band soared to new heights in 2017 with the release of their platinum album Woodstock. The album was marked by the astounding success of their infectious single Feel It Still, which earned the group a plethora of new accolades — including a Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, a seven-times platinum certification, a record setting 20-week residency at No. 1 on alternative radio, and an inescapable presence on the Top 40 airwaves. Chris Black Changed My Life is the band’s first full length album since Woodstock. The album is dedicated to the band’s late friend and honourary band member Chris Black. The band teamed up with collaborators Paul Williams (John Lennon, David Bowie), Sean Leon (Justin Bieber, Kanye West), Black Thought (The Roots), Unknown Mortal Orchestra (David Bowie, Gorillaz), Jeff Bhasker (Beyonce, Harry Styles, Mark Ronson) and Natalia Lafourcade (Miguel, Raphael).”
Tommy Prine
This Far South
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Tommy Prine’s debut album is not only a long-awaited introduction but a testimony to Prine’s 20s and the loss, love, and growth that has defined them. Co-produced by close friend and kindred musical spirit Ruston Kelly, and beloved Nashville engineer and producer Gena Johnson, the album is rich and dynamic, from cathartic jams to nostalgic storytelling. The son of late songwriting legend John Prine, Tommy grew up in Nashville surrounded by music, art and writing. As a child, he thought all parents were musicians, as his father “going to work” meant performing shows for adoring fans and writing songs. Tommy learned to play guitar by watching his father play, copying the ways his fingers moved and inadvertently developing his own singular style. In a way, what makes Prine’s own music so special is how he’s navigated life and creativity apart from his family’s name — as he once said, on stage, to a disorderly request for one of his dad’s songs, “You’re not about to get an hour of John Prine Jr.” This Far South is an emotionally complex but universally accessible debut that sonically brings together a colorful patchwork of musical influences and lyrically explores existential questions and emotional experiences.”
Swans
The Beggar
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Beggar was recorded and mixed at Candy Bomber Studio, Berlin, engineered by Ingo Krauss and mastered by Doug Henderson at Micro-Moose, Berlin. The album was written and produced by Michael Gira and features contributions from recent and former Swans, members of Angels of Light, as well as Guest Swan Ben Frost. “After numerous pandemic-induced cancellations of tours for the previous Swans album leaving meaning, and an apparent bottomless pit of waiting, waiting, waiting, and the strange disorientation that came with this sudden but interminable forced isolation I decided it was time to write songs for a new Swans album and forget about everything else,” Gira says. “They came relatively easily, always informed by the suspicion that these could be my last. When I finally was able to travel, songs in hand, to Berlin to work with my friends recording this record, the feeling was akin to the moment in The Wizard of Oz when the film changes from black and white to colour. Now I’m feeling quite optimistic. My favourite colour is pink. I hope you enjoy the album.”
Various Artists
Written In Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Written in Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos, a seven-disc box set, is a celebration of the often unsung heroes who wrote the classic songs of Stax’s major artists such as Otis Redding, Carla Thomas, Sam & Dave, and The Staple Singers. The set features 146 demos, all but six of which are previously unreleased, from the label’s revered roster of songwriters, including Bettye Crutcher, Homer Banks, William Bell, Mack Rice, Veda Brown and Henderson Thigpen. It’s a fascinating glimpse under the bonnet of the historic label, with early sketches of vintage tracks from the 1960s and ’70s as well as never-before-heard songs with full-blown arrangements. Written in Their Soul has been compiled by multiple Grammy-winning producer Cheryl Pawelski, and its contents divide into three categories: demos that were released by artists at Stax or its subsidiary imprints, including Volt, We Produce and Enterprise; demos by Stax songwriters that were released by artists on other labels, such as Atlantic and Decca; and a treasure trove of hit-worthy recordings that were never released.”
Vintage Trouble
Heavy Hymnal
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The hardest-working band in rock — Hollywood blues-funk rockers Vintage Trouble — focus on the state of the world with their third album Heavy Hymnal. History has proven that when the world is in flames, it ignites the empathetic artists to siren their words, music, and rhythm, to blanket society’s fury and nurse scorched souls. The seemingly endless years of pandemic lockdown and social distancing, coupled with the turbulent plague of civil unrest and racial injustice, called on Vintage Trouble to step into their battle wear. Like so often before, they have spun records to drop onto the fighting grounds, with the intent to freeze the frame long enough to momentarily halt the warring world. And while at ease, we can freely choose to think before we strike or decide to retreat, rather than thoughtlessly charge into repeating history. This collection of heavy hymns is from the heart, and it provides a necessary rise to our ever reckoning.”
M. Ward
Supernatural Thing
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Speaking about his new album Supernatural Thing, M. Ward says that “the title comes from an early thought as a kid that radio traveled the same airwaves as messages from supernatural things — and music, especially remembered music, is somehow tied up in this exchange. The sending and receiving of messages from memory and dreams seem to move along this same often broken-up wavelength. I see this new record as an extension, 18 years later, of my Transistor Radio record, but this new record is better because its more concise and has more voices and more moods — the way my favourite radio was and still is.” The album’s guest stars — First Aid Kit, Shovels & Rope, Scott McMicken, Neko Case, Jim James and others — enliven the album with surprises. Eight of the album’s 10 songs are Ward originals, but there is also an unusual David Bowie cover — I Can’t Give Everything Away from Blackstar — and a live rendition of Daniel Johnston’s Story of an Artist. Offers Ward: “Bowie and Johnston are constant sources of inspiration for me, have been for I don’t know how many years.”
The Watson Twins
Holler
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Long before their entwined voices took them around the world — first as harmony singers for Jenny Lewis, then as leaders of their own critically acclaimed band — The Watson Twins grew up in the American South. They sang in the church choir. They listened to gospel classics and country standards. Those sounds became part of their musical foundation, connecting the siblings to their Kentucky hometown even after they relocated to Los Angeles and, years later, settled in Nashville. Chandra and Leigh Watson’s southern roots break through the surface once again with Holler. Recorded with their Tennessee-based touring band and produced by Grammy nominee Butch Walker, it’s an album that highlights the identical twin sisters’ songwriting chops and vocal chemistry. Together, these 10 songs nod to the siblings’ old-school influences while boldly pushing forward into new territory. Captured during a series of live-in-the-studio recording sessions, Holler isn’t just The Watson Twins’ most collaborative album to date — it’s their strongest, too.”
