If it’s big new releases you’re after, you’ve got one option: Peter Gabriel’s much-previewed comeback i/o, the former Genesis frontman’s first album of new original material in 20 years. If oldies, box sets, live albums and tributes are more your speed, you’re in luck. See for yourself:
The Black Crowes
The Southern Harmony & Musical Companion Box Set
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “World-renowned rock band The Black Crowes unveil a box set of their chart-topping sophomore album The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion. The album, which entered the Billboard album chart at No. 1 upon release in 1992, was named after a post-Civil War southern hymnal and is home to some of the band’s biggest hits, including Remedy, Sting Me and Thorn in My Pride, which were No. 1 on the Billboard Main Stream Rock Airplay chart for a combined total of 21 weeks. Says Chris Robinson: “We’ve always thought that the music on Southern Harmony and Musical Companion was made of a certain magic that was in the air for us in 1992. This special box set represents all the ingredients of the spell we were under.”
Peter Gabriel
i/o
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “i/o is 12 tracks of grace, gravity and great beauty that provide welcome confirmation of not only Peter Gabriel’s ongoing ability to write stop-you-in-your-tracks songs but also of that thrilling voice, still perfectly, delightfully intact. Throughout the album the intelligent and thoughtful — often thought-provoking — songs tackle life and the universe. Our connection to the world around us — ‘I’m just a part of everything,’ Peter sings on title track — is a recurring motif, but so too the passing of time, mortality and grief, alongside such themes as injustice, surveillance and the roots of terrorism. But this is not a solemn record. While reflective, the mood is never despondent; i/o is musically adventurous, often joyous and ultimately full of hope, topped off as it is, by the rousingly optimistic closing song, Live and Let Live.”
Goat
Levitation Sessions
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Levitation Sessions return with a live performance film and album from Goat. Despite their cryptic and secretive lifestyle, the mysterious Swedish collective have been at the forefront of modern psych, and this live release follows a decade of cult-classic LPs — each a timeless entry into the psych canon, a heady mix of world music, ’60s fuzz, Afrobeat and funk grooves and Swedish psychedelia, from their 2012 debut World Music to their 2023 release Medicine. Their Levitation Session film and live album was recorded in the heart of winter in early 2023, capturing the alchemy of the band’s creative process and a glimpse of their legendary live show, filmed in the band’s studio headquarters.”
Bobby Keys
Lover’s Rockin’: The Lost Album
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “American saxophonist Bobby Keys (1943-2014) was born in Slaton, Lubbock County, Texas. Not knowing how to read music, he learned to play the saxophone on his own. During his teenage years, he accompanied singer Bobby Vee on the Caravan of Stars tour, organized by Dick Clark. In 1964, he saw The Rolling Stones during a concert in San Antonio. With trumpeter Jim Price, he was one of the musicians recruited for their 1969 tour. He took part in the recording of several of their albums, including Let It Bleed in 1969, Sticky Fingers in 1971 and Exile on Main Street in 1972. The famous saxophone chorus on Brown Sugar is considered his most significant contribution. Born the same day as Keith Richards, Keys became one of his close friends. While most of his career was centred around The Rolling Stones, Keys also played for many artists, including The Who, B.B. King, John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Johnny Hallyday and Barbara Streisand. He participated in the recording of Mad Dogs and Englishmen by Joe Cocker, All Things Must Pass by George Harrison and Cosmic Wheels by Donovan. In the early 1980s, Bobby, Ronnie Wood and Keith Richard, took years to record this lost album. This record has remained buried in the archives ever since.”
Minor Threat
Out of Step Outtakes EP
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “In January 1983, Minor Threat went into Inner Ear Studio for the first time as a five-piece (Brian Baker had moved from bass to second guitar and Steve Hansgen was now playing bass). They had six new songs that would end up being the center piece of what became the Out of Step 12″ EP. The band had also decided to re-record the song Out of Step with some extra language to try to clarify the lyrics, as well as Cashing In, a tongue-in-cheek song about the D.C. punk scene which they had only played live once. After much debate, Cashing In was added as a hidden track on the original vinyl release though not listed on the cover or label. There was still blank tape on the reel, so they decided to record an instrumental with the working title, Addams Family and then recorded new versions of In My Eyes and Filler to hear what they sounded like with two guitars. Addams Family ended up being used as a coda to Cashing In, but the other two songs were never mixed and largely forgotten for over 35 years — until the multitrack tapes were taken into the studio to be digitized in 2021. Surprised by the discovery, Ian MacKaye and Don Zientara mixed the two songs along with the complete take of Addams Family. These outtakes are now being released on a 7″ to mark the 40th anniversary of Out of Step.”
Various Artists
Dan Sartain Vs. The World (Is Gonna Break Your Little Heart)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Friends and family of Dan Sartain are proud to announce the upcoming release of Dan Sartain Vs. The World (Is Gonna Break Your Little Heart). Sartain was a prolific whirlwind of a musician who hopped genres as often as people changed their socks. The catalog of music he left behind is ripe with lyrical profoundness, goofy humor and dripping with cool. His impact on the many musicians who knew or played with him led to the creation of this tribute album which contains covers of many of Dan’s best songs. The album opens with an unreleased track from the Sartain vault. Rock And Roll Hall of Famer Jane Wiedlin revisits her and Dan’s poppy punk quickfire duet. San Diego’s Mrs Magician, British songwriter David Ford and former bandmates, tour buddies and friends such as Ben Blackwell, Plate Six, Goldettes, and Onelinedrawing also contribute.”
Various Artists
Moping in Style: A Tribute To Adam Green
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “After establishing himself in the late ’90s as one-half of New York anti-folk favorites The Moldy Peaches, singer/songwriter Adam Green built a sturdy solo career throughout the 2000s, exploring a peculiar mix of idiosyncratic, orchestrally driven indie pop and literate, offbeat humor with albums like 2005’s Gemstones and 2006’s Jacket Full of Danger.
This sweeping double-album tribute features Regina Spektor, Father John Misty, Devendra Banhart, The Libertines, Jenny Lewis, Sean Ono Lennon, Frankie Cosmos, The Lemonheads and many other familiar names whose contributions are a testament to Green’s position as a fixture of indie rock over the last two decades.”
Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Violent Femmes self-titled album has reached legendary status that few albums ever attain. Released in 1983, Violent Femmes became one of the most distinctive records of the early alternative movement and an enduring cult classic. This expanded 40th anniversary edition features the remastered album, plus rare B-sides, live sessions, and demo recordings. Housed in a lift-top box with die-cut darkened window detail revealing the box contents, the set includes three 180-gram LPs plus a replica 7″ single, along with a book featuring new liner notes and interviews with the band. Includes the classic anthems Blister In The Sun, Please Do Not Go, Gone Daddy Gone and Add It Up.”
