For me, it’s all about the new Rolling Stones album Hackney Diamonds. But hey, maybe you’re not a fan. No worries; among the 500-plus new releasees on the way, there are plenty of other gems — including LPs from Glen Hansard, Dhani Harrison, Duff McKagan, Sam Roberts, Blink-182, Chris Shiflett, The Streets and plenty more. Here are your plays of the week:
Emma Anderson
Pearlies
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: ”One of the most underrated British songwriters to emerge from the era that encompassed shoegaze and Britpop, Emma Anderson — co-founder of Lush — has teamed up with producer James Chapman (aka Maps) for this collection that combines effervescent electronic pop with psych and folk textures with lyrics covering themes such as confronting your fears, embracing independence and moving on in life. It arrives fully formed with a burnished beauty (aided by the mastering skills of Heba Kadry) that belies its somewhat protracted creation, which began with Emma feeling disillusioned after Lush’s 2016 reunion came to an abrupt end. When Sonic Cathedral introduced her to James Chapman at the start of 2022, Pearlies quickly took shape and blossomed into a masterpiece, the perfect mix of Emma’s incredible, idiosyncratic songwriting and James’ electronic production nous. Plus, a little extra guitar magic on four tracks courtesy of Richard Oakes from Suede.”
Blink-182
One More Time…
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: ”Blink-182’s long-awaited comeback One More Time… is the first album to feature the group’s iconic lineup, Mark Hoppus (bass, vocals), Tom DeLonge (guitar, vocals) and Travis Barker (drums) since 2011. The trio recorded One More Time… in the midst of their blockbuster reunion tour, which sold out arenas, amphitheaters, and stadiums across the world. The album, produced by Barker, features 17 new songs that capture the band at the top of their game, layering in themes of tragedy, triumph, and most importantly, brotherhood.
Blues Traveler
Traveler’s Soul
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: ”No matter how much the world around us may change, music persists as the last original magic. It appears seemingly out of nowhere, affecting and altering emotions, feelings, and moods before melting back into the ether. Blues Traveler channel that magic with their 15th album Traveler’s Soul. John Popper (vocals, harmonica), Chan Kinchla (guitar), Tad Kinchla (bass), Ben Wilson (keyboards) and Brendan Hill (drums) always treat this magic with the utmost care. It’s why they continue to resonate as loudly as ever among audiences nearly four decades since their emergence. It’s why their catalog endures. It’s why they can still roll through any town on tour and pack a shed or amphitheater. It’s why they even notched their most recent Grammy nod in 2022 and tally tens of millions of streams to this day.”
Glen Hansard
All That Was East Is West of Me Now
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “All That Was East Is West Of Me Now is by turns noisy and meditative, sprawling and hypnotic. Easily Hansard’s most rock record since Burn The Maps-era of The Frames. The title, which Hansard says stems from the “sudden realization that there’s more behind than ahead,” suggests a survey from a great height, taking in terrain travelled and that which is still to be discovered. While the passage of time may be a central theme, the narrative of the album’s eight tracks focus more on the promise for the future than thoughts of regret or nostalgia. The recording of All That Was East Is West Of Me Now was produced by long time co-conspirator David Odlum (Tinariwen, Sam Smith) at his home studio on the outskirts of Dublin. The process of recording, as of songwriting, “must be an intuitive leap into what feels right,” says Hansard, “When it feels right, I usually run from it, mix it quickly before it collapses.” For the bulk of the record, Hansard was joined in the studio by fellow Frames Joseph Doyle, Graham Hopkins, Ruth O’Mahony Brady, Rob Bochnik and honorary Frame Earl Harvin. Strings came courtesy from fellow live contributors Gareth Quinn Redmond, Kate Ellis, Paula Hughes, Katie O’Connor and Una O’Kane. “All we can hope for as artists is that something in the tone or shape of a song speaks well enough to be heard and taken to heart. This record took many forms as I slowly whittled away at the songs, some parts grew new parts, some fell apart and away.”
Dhani Harrison
Innerstanding
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: ”Grammy-winning musician and composer Dhani Harrison’s Innerstanding is his first solo album in six years. “Here we are in a new world and here is the new album that has come forth from it,” says Harrison. Guests on the album include Blur’s Graham Coxon, Liela Moss from The Duke Spirit and critically acclaimed Australian singer Mereki. The album was produced by Harrison and co-mixed with Grammy-winning producer Paul Hicks (The Beatles, Joe Strummer, The Rolling Stones). Originally stepping onto the global stage with his band thenewno2, Harrison first earned critical acclaim for his innovative sound and approach with performances at Coachella, Lollapalooza, and on multiple late night TV shows. However, it was as solo artist that Harrison truly demonstrated his creative autonomy. 2017’s IN///PARALLEL served as a testament to his evolution as a musician, weaving intricate melodies and a subject matter that forewarned much of what the world has experienced in the years following its release. Harrison is also known for scoring film and TV projects as well as collaborating with an array of diverse artists including Wu-Tang Clan, UNKLE, John McLaughlin, Annie Lennox, Pearl Jam, Nitin Sawhney, Perry Farrell, Prince, Regina Spektor and Fistful of Mercy (alongside Ben Harper and Joseph Arthur).”
Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter
Saved!
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: ”Saved! is an apocalyptic revelation on the complex, sometimes ugly, always nonlinear process of healing. Herein, Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter documents an earnest attempt to achieve salvation through the tenets of charismatic Christianity, focusing on the Pentecostal-Holiness Movement, which dictate that one’s closeness to God is demonstrated through transcendental personal experience. Sonically and thematically, the record is both a logical conclusion to and a significant departure from Hayter’s previous work as Lingua Ignota. Mirroring her personal evolution away from pain, she sheds the moniker that made her successful for its unflinching expression of lived trauma and instead builds herself anew, claiming her full given name, determined to see value within. Musically, while she continues to use historical avant-garde technique and formal constraints superimposed over accessible frameworks, she also strips down her instrumentation and degrades audio to provide a sense of musicological antiquity. Similar to Lingua Ignota, the record is steeped in pathos, but now the wrath of God gives way to His deliverance: “His boundless love shall make you whole.”
Duff McKagan
Lighthouse
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: ”For more than 40 years, Duff McKagan has been an unstoppable creative force, spanning a multitude of bands, tours, collaborations, and writings. Now with his long-awaited solo album Lighthouse, the veteran musician proves to be, at his heart, a gifted singer-songwriter with a distinctive knack for authenticity and introspection. In 2019, McKagan opened his own Seattle recording studio, allowing him a long-hoped-for opportunity to “finally explore songs that I may have written the night before or some of those old riffs from years ago. This is a big deal for me.” He spent much of the next two years working with longtime producer/collaborator Martin Feveyear (Mark Lanegan, Brandi Carlile), chipping away at a series of intensely personal new songs. Lighthouse is the first full-length collection born in McKagan’s studio. Songs like Hope (featuring veteran Paul McCartney drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. and melodic lead guitar from Slash) and the philosophical I Just Don’t Know (featuring Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains) see McKagan baring more of his artistic spirit than ever before, fusing acoustic elements with hard-edged rock ’n’ roll to land at the sweet spot between soul-searching reflection and pure energy. The 11-song collection is further highlighted by an additional take on the title track, Lighthouse (Reprise), joined by the one and only Iggy Pop.”
Eli Paperboy Reed
Hits And Misses: The Singles
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: ”Every time an artist records an album, they end up with just a little bit more than they need. Songs that, for one reason or another, don’t make it on to the full-length. People call them all sorts of things: Bonus tracks. Non-LP B-sides. Extras. Whatever you choose to call them, these songs are never purposely relegated to the dustbin of history. Whatever happens throughout the record-making process, the music that is left on the proverbial cutting room floor was made with the same care, emotion, dedication and commitment as the stuff that got labeled “master.” These songs do not deserve to be forgotten! Enter, Hits And Misses, a new collection from that venerated progenitor of all things soul, R&B and Americana, Eli Paperboy Reed. The Paperboy is eight albums deep in to a career that spans close to two decades. His bonus tracks could easily be another’s hits singles. From vividly reimagined covers spanning every genre to his own dance-or-cry originals, leftovers these are not.”
Rival Sons
Lightbringer
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: ”Grammy-nominated band Rival Sons’ much-anticipated new album Lightbringer is the group’s second album of 2023, following June’s critically acclaimed companion album Darkfighter. Guitarist Scott Holiday said “When you do two albums back-to-back like this, there are a lot of things to think about. The first record has to pack enough of a punch and tell enough of a story for the second half to have an even bigger impact. We balanced them out with energy and meaning, but the followup always needed to deliver a bigger blow. I think Lightbringer provides this.” Vocalist Jay Buchanan added, “Lightbringer is the clear definition of what we are now. We broke ground on Darkfighter, but Lightbringer is a step beyond the personal innovation and exploration. It goes a little further. We really took everything into our own hands and pushed to see how far we could go. It was a self-exploration to see who we were and who we’ll be now. We had more friction and compromise than ever, because we isolated the bare essence of where we needed to go — and then we went there.”
Sam Roberts Band
The Adventures Of Ben Blank
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: ”The Adventures Of Ben Blank is a collection of nine tracks including irresistible melodies, rich harmonies and insightful lyrics with the distinctive Sam Roberts Band sound. It was recorded at Giant Studio in Toronto. Blank is the narrator of the band’s eighth album, and he’s at once a familiar figure and an unknowable spectre — a man in a constant state of creation, simultaneously ancient and endlessly reborn. The centrepiece of the record is the stunning Afterlife, a middle finger raised at the prospect of death, in which Blank spits “I’ll get my kicks on this side of the Styx.” It’s a reminder of the momentousness of the moment, a bold refutation of the future — both a joyful and a painful reminder that this is all we have. The Adventures Of Ben Blank will be the band’s first new album since 2020’s All of Us. The album garnered critical praise and achieved notable recognition, including a Juno nomination for Rock Album of the Year.”
The Rolling Stones
Hackney Diamonds
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: ”The Rolling Stones’ Hackney Diamonds was recorded in various locations around the world, including Henson Recording Studios, Los Angeles; Metropolis Studios, London; Sanctuary Studios, Nassau, Bahamas; Electric Lady Studios, New York; and The Hit Factory/Germano Studios, also in New York. The album is their first studio set of new material since 2005’s A Bigger Bang. Since then, the Stones have continued to smash box office records for fun on a series of global sellout tours and released 2016’s Grammy-winning Blue & Lonesome, which featured their brilliant versions of many of the blues tracks that helped shape their sound, and topped album charts around the world. Last year, they thrilled European audiences totalling nearly a quarter of a million on the anniversary Sixty tour. Hackney Diamonds marks Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood’s first collaboration with New York-born producer and musician Andrew Watt, who was named Producer of the Year at the 2021 Grammy Awards and has worked with Post Malone, Iggy Pop and Elton John.”
Chris Shiflett
Lost At Sea
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: ”Punk veteran. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee. Americana and rock songwriter. Modern-day guitar hero. For more than 25 years, Chris Shiflett has blurred the lines between genre and generation, balancing his full-band projects with a thriving solo career. He turns a new page with Lost At Sea, a solo record that builds a bridge between Nashville — where Shiflett has become a frequent visitor, performing on the Grand Ole Opry one minute and collaborating with Music City tastemakers like Jaren Johnston and Dave Cobb the next — and his native California. Caught halfway between the honky-tonk saloon and the punk-rock dive bar, Lost At Sea is both eclectic and electric, making room for alt-country crunch, guitar-driven grit, and sharp songwriting. Tying that mix together is Shiflett himself: a musical Renaissance Man whose influences are every bit as wide-ranging as his resumé.”
Joan Smith & The Jane Does
Do Me Some Harm
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: ”Joan Smith has teamed with guitarist and producer Tom Juhas to form The Jane Does — a female-fronted dance-rock machine with cutting vocals that amp up to the edge of sanity, pulsing rock beats and relentless guitars. Smith spent the past decade fronting guitar/organ rock trio Little Foot Long Foot, playing Canadian stages eager to handle their volume, and garnering international reach with placements in soundtracks like Orange Is The New Black. Since 2016, Smith has been bringing her guitar and backing vocal chops on the road with Juno-award winner Serena Ryder. Juhas is an accomplished touring and studio guitarist, producer and sound maker known for his eclectic work as producer and player alongside Justin Rutledge, Bret Higgins’ Atlas Revolt, Jadea Kelly and Ryan O’Reilly.”
The Streets
The Darker The Shadow, The Brighter The Light
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: ”Twenty years on from the debut album Original Pirate Material, which hit the charts in 2002, Mike Skinner still finds himself an iconic pioneer of British music. The new album The Darker The Shadow, The Brighter The Light has been in the works for five years. The album is a classic Streets album — filled with Skinner’s trademark lyrical wizardry and beats honed over a decade of building his other career as a legitimate bass/rap DJ in clubs — with all songs written by Skinner but featuring vocal contributions from longtime collaborators Kevin Mark Trail and Robert Harvey, as well as a track featuring Teef. The songs also serve as the soundtrack to Skinner’s debut feature film of the same name. While neither the album or film exist without each other, both can be enjoyed separately. “It has been seven long years working on this film and album,” he’s said. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and after dipping my toe in with some shorts and music videos, I felt I was ready. I tried to go the traditional route for a bit, but it’s always served me better to follow my instincts and just get on with it myself, so I’ve directed it, acted in it, edited, sound mixed, funded, produced it all as well as written it. The album doesn’t exist without it.”
