I can’t remember how March came in, and I’m way too lazy to go back and look. But I know this: It’s going out like a gawddam lion — musically speaking, at any rate. Need proof? Look no further than these new titles. And yeah, Beyoncé also has a new album dropping next week. But you don’t need me to hip you to that, do ya?
A Perfect Circle, Primus & Puscifer
Sessanta E.P.P.P.
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Sessanta is a resurrection, and expansion, of the 2014 Los Angeles event Cinquanta, which was originally a one-time only celebration. Much like that fabled evening, which commemorated Maynard James Keenan’s landmark 50th birthday, Sessanta celebrates the Puscifer and A Perfect Circle frontman as he turns 60. Sessanta’s unique format sees the musicians from the trio of bands joining each other’s performances throughout their concerts. While each group will have their own distinctive sets, the players will continually transform as the night unfolds.”
Scott H. Biram
The One & Only Scott H. Biram
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Scott H. Biram, a proud Texan raised on the outskirts of Austin, is a maverick in the tradition of Doug Sahm, Roky Erickson and Gibby Haines. Shortly after releasing his third record (2003’s Lo-Fi Mojo), the 28-year-old’s life was nearly cut short after a near-fatal head-on collision with a big-rig semi. He was still bedridden when he made his Rehabilitation Blues EP. Flash forward to 2022. After almost 30 years of tirelessly writing, recording and touring the front and backroads of America as a solo bluesman, collecting a wide array of critical accolades, Biram found himself suddenly stopped cold by the pandemic. Once again, unwilling to allow outsized forces slow him down, he took advantage of the shutdown to write, record and produce nine new songs and two traditional covers for his new album, The One & Only Scott H. Biram, his 13th overall. “My music has a lot of aggression to it,” he says. “I express myself without holding back. If you mixed Muddy Waters, Bill Monroe, Jerry Reed and Black Flag, you’d have a good idea of my sound. It’s punk, blues, country, metal, bluegrass and dirty.”
Chastity Belt
Live Laugh Love
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “In their decade-plus together, the four-piece — Julia Shapiro (guitar, vocals), Lydia Lund (guitar, vocals), Gretchen Grimm (drums, vocals), and Annie Truscott (bass, vocals) — have created a resonant body of work. Live Laugh Love is a natural continuation. Against the bizarre backdrop of the past few years, Chastity Belt remained a supportive space for the members to grow and experiment, drawing on the ingredients most essential to their process since the beginning: authenticity and levity. Recorded over three sessions in as many years (January 2020, November 2021 and 2022), the focus became more about enjoying their time together in the studio than making it feel like work. Live Laugh Love finds the members in their prime as musicians. Their parts trace intricate patterns over one another, but there’s room to breathe between the layers. Everyone contributes to the writing, sometimes switching instruments, and for the first time, all four members sing a song. It’s never been more apparent that they are creative siblings, cut from the same belt. “We’ve been playing music with each other for over a decade,” says Shapiro, “so it really does feel like we’re all fluent in the same language, and a lot of it just happens naturally.”
Chicano Batman
Notebook Fantasy
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The fifth album from Chicano Batman, Notebook Fantasy takes its title from a phenomenon likely familiar to anyone who feels outside the status quo: The act of spending your formative years dreaming up other worlds and realities in the pages of a notebook, exploring those possibilities with a bold and wide-eyed freedom. Throughout the lifespan of the L.A. band, vocalist/lyricist Bardo, guitarist Carlos Arévalo, and bassist Eduardo Arenas have followed their own visionary impulses to tremendous heights — a journey that began with taking the stage at local dive bars and recently saw them co-headlining the legendary Hollywood Bowl. In the making of Notebook Fantasy, Chicano Batman doubled down on their hyper-creative tendencies, discovering new dimensions of their prismatic musicality while infusing their lyrics with an unflinching honesty. With its dizzying constellation of song forms and sounds — including everything from arena-ready anthems to piano-driven balladry to psychedelic space odysseys — the result is a body of work that sheds all inhibitions and fully reveals the sublime expanse of their musical imagination.”
The Coal Men
Everett
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Everett is the sixth album from acclaimed Nashville roots-rock trio The Coal Men. Produced by founding singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Coleman at his Howard’s Apartment Studio in Inglewood, Tenn., Everett is the band’s first full-length in nearly eight years. The album sees the long-running trio — Coleman, co-founding drummer/backing vocalist Dave Ray, and bass guitarist Paul Slivka — fully embracing their streamlined electric guitar-bass-and-drums approach adding only accent melodies and sustain textures from a 1950s Everett upright piano Coleman purchased from Nashville’s Downtown Presbyterian Church. As played by Jen Gunderman (Sheryl Crow, Jayhawks), Lane Kiefling (solo artist, and tuner of the Everett), and Coleman, the addition of the upright epitomizes the inventive production style Coleman has developed at his popular Howard’s Apartment Studio while also bringing a distinctive emotional color to his ever-expressive songcraft. “We’ve kept our course in these nearly 25 years as a band and I hope some folks find this record relevant and inspiring in the time it’s released,” says Coleman. “The voices, songs, playing, and recordings are curated by experience and genuinely our own. I hope they resonate with listeners who find it refreshing.”
Sheryl Crow
Evolution
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Nine-time Grammy winner and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Inductee Sheryl Crow’s 11th studio album Evolution comes as a surprise — the singer-songwriter said she would not release another album after Threads (2018). “Everything has gotten more song-oriented with streaming, and making an album is a huge endeavor.” says Crow. “I started off sending one song to Mike (Elizondo, the album’s producer), which turned into four, and it was going to be an EP. But the songs just kept flowing out of me, four songs turned into nine and it was pretty obvious this was an album.” Evolution is Crow at her most authentically human self. “This music and these lyrics came from sitting in the quiet and writing from a deep soul place. I said I’d never make another record, thought there was no point to it. But this music comes from my soul. And I hope whoever hears this record can feel that.”
Deep Purple
Machine Head Super Deluxe Edition
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Deep Purple unleashed one of the best guitar riffs since the invention of rock and roll with Smoke On The Water, a song dubbed the Beethoven’s 5th of hard rock. Since its 1972 debut on Machine Head, the song and the album have left an indelible mark on music, inspiring countless bands around the world. Now they’re honoring the album’s enormous legacy with a comprehensive version introducing new mixes and previously unreleased live recordings. Highlighting the collection are several different versions of the album, including new stereo and Dolby Atmos mixes by Dweezil Zappa. The 1974 quadraphonic mix and a newly remastered version of the original album are also featured, adding depth to the extraordinary set. The Super Deluxe Edition also contains two captivating live performances. The first, recorded on March 9, 1972, at the Paris Theatre in London, captures the group’s unrivaled stage presence. The second, previously unreleased, was recorded in April 1971 at Montreux Casino in Switzerland. The band planned to record Machine Head there, but the venue burned down right before the sessions began, as immortalized in Smoke On The Water.”
Alejandro Escovedo
Echo Dancing
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “On this new album, Alejandro Escovedo has taken a road rarely traveled, which is totally in keeping with how he has lived his life in music. Echo Dancing is an experiment in how to use the past to shape the future. By recording completely new and repurposed versions of songs from his past, Escovedo actually gets a chance to rewrite his own history. It’s also an idea that pushes growth into the present, and asks an artist to see themselves anew. “I always feel that a well-written song can withstand a lot of abuse,” Escovedo says. It is an area of creativity that the man has always honored. “Turning a past song inside out leads to discovery of new ideas you might not have understood about the song,” he says. “Even lyrical refurbishing has proven helpful and effective. It’s like interpreting your own work anew. The songs never seem to be complete. They are always evolving.” And with those words, Escovedo succinctly explains the new levels of artistic exploration he’s undertaken on his new album. It’s a unique adventure into recording new versions of songs from his past, and approaching them as challenges to totally express what the music means to him today. Echo Dancing makes sure Escovedo’s evolving circle remains unbroken.”
Sue Foley
One Guitar Woman
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Sue Foley’s One Guitar Woman is a moving tribute to the female pioneers of guitar, the women whose music and lives delivered the inspiration and paved the way for those that followed. Sue honours artists spanning a whole spectrum of styles. As she writes in her liner notes, “They were massively talented, and they all possessed courage and vision which transformed both their cultures and the story of the guitar.” True to the album title, Sue performs all these songs with one guitar. While fans are used to seeing her playing her iconic Fender Telecaster Pinky through her Bassman amp, for this album she chose a nylon-string acoustic guitar: A flamenco Blanca made by master luthier Salvadore Castillo, purchased by Sue on a 2022 excursion to Paracho, Mexico. The album covers the hard-driving Memphis Minnie and icons like Maybelle Carter and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, as well as heroes like French classical guitarist Ida Presti, Tejano sensation Lydia Mendoza and the overlooked Charo. Lesser known but equally compelling are Southern blues women Geeshie Wiley and Elvie Thomas. All in all, the 12 tracks of this album pay deference to eight female guitarists.”
Ed Harcourt
El Magnifico
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “While recognisably bearing all the hallmarks that have made him an admired and prolific songwriter — not to mention one of Britain’s most cherished yet inventive music creators — Ed Harcourt’s new self-produced record El Magnifico, also finds him striving for something new. It is a Harcourt record, but one with a desire to seek fresh reward. “I think as a songwriter you do get to a point where you’re aware of your past and what you’ve done,” suggests Harcourt of El Magnifico’s mixture of assuredness and aspiration. “It’s knowing what your strengths are, what your weaknesses are, but also knowing how to better yourself by doing things you haven’t done before. I find that I’m always learning,” Harcourt adds. “When I’m writing with someone else it’s always a total blank canvas so you have to be open to trying new things. It means with every record I do myself it’s got to have something different in it. Every album is always a reaction to the last thing I did. After the Furnaces, which was quite heavy and experimental, I felt it was time I went back to the source a bit. So maybe there is a sense here of drawing on what people perhaps know me for, but there is also a big step forward.”
Little Albert
The Road Not Taken
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Regarded as one of the finest guitarists of the modern rock scene by international critics, Alberto Piccolo aka Little Albert is known for his work in the revered Italian doom metal band Messa, which has garnered exceptional feedback on the global heavy scene and performed on major stages across Europe, the U.K. and North America. His new solo album The Road Not Taken deals with the concept of choice and is divided into a series of reflections on love gone wrong, regrets and mental health. The setting of The Road Not Taken story takes us to the Arizona desert, with Little Albert’s inspiring and deeply moving ’70s blues rock as a soundtrack. Skillfully moving between timeless delta blues and jazz interwoven with flashes of brilliant heaviness, his immaculate technique recalls guitar heroes such as Muddy Waters and Joe Bonamassa, while his soulful crystalline vocals have the modern bite of The Black Keys or Gary Clark Jr. The Road Not Taken is a heartfelt and languorous seven-tracker that feels like nothing but a caress to the ears.”
Ride
Interplay
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Everything feels like it has been leading to Interplay, Ride’s seventh album and the third since their 2015 reunion. It’s the sound of the group connecting all the dots, taking the frenzied guitar attacks, hypnotic grooves and dreamy melodic hooks of their early work and setting it to a more expansive sonic template, one that takes in synth flourishes, psychedelic folk, electronic beats and noir-pop soundscapes. It has been a period of adversity in the world of Ride. Much of that was down to writing and recording during a pandemic — a period of adversity shared by everyone, everywhere — but there was also breakups and a messy legal battle with an ex-manager that, singer and guitarist Mark Gardener states, “threatened our very existence.” It has instilled in the record a feeling of defiance, an album that pairs classic Ride lyrical hallmarks such as escapism, dreams, the dissatisfaction of modern life, yearning and freedom with a sense of resilience.”
Sonny Rollins
A Night At The Village Vanguard: The Complete Masters
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Sonny Rollins’ A Night at the Village Vanguard: The Complete Masters, is a special edition of the legendary saxophonist’s tour-de-force live trio album. The expanded marks the first time Rollins’ complete recorded performances at the Village Vanguard on Nov. 3, 1957 will be made available in a single package. Produced for release by Joe Harley, it was taken from Rudy Van Gelder’s newly discovered and never-before-used original 7.5ips master tapes. Rollins had already recorded three Blue Note studio dates in the year preceding the Village Vanguard session, which would be Rollins’ first live album, as well as the first live album recorded at the iconic New York City jazz club. The music was predominantly captured at the evening set featuring Wilbur Ware on bass and Elvin Jones on drums with two pieces coming from the afternoon set featuring Donald Bailey on bass and Pete La Roca on drums.”
The Secret Sisters
Mind, Man, Medicine
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Since their 2010 self-titled debut, The Secret Sisters have brought their spellbinding harmonies to songs that untangle the thorniest aspects of life and love and womanhood. In the making of their new album Mind, Man, Medicine, Alabama-bred siblings Laura Rogers and Lydia Slagle found their songwriting transformed by a newfound sense of self-reliance and equanimity, threading their lyrics with hard-won insight into the complexities of motherhood, commitment, compassion, and self-preservation in an endlessly chaotic world. Centered on a kaleidoscopic sound that boldly blurs the edges of country-folk, the duo’s fifth full-length ultimately confronts many of modern life’s harshest challenges while leading the listener toward a more open-hearted state of mind. “In our previous records there was a feeling that we had something to prove, but now we’re leaning toward a place of peaceful acceptance and trying to stay immersed in the present,” says Slagle, noting that their shared experience in parenting young children greatly informed that shift in perspective. “There are definitely still moments of frustration and anger on this album, but there’s also a little more light,” Rogers adds. “I think a lot of that came from getting older, and from letting go of the pressure we put on ourselves in the past. We finally reached the point of saying, ‘Let’s just write the songs honestly as we can, and trust that they’ll reach whoever they’re meant to reach.’ ”
Sarah Shook & The Disarmers
Revelations
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “It’s obvious listening to Sarah Shook & The Disarmers’ clear-eyed, biting, and unafraid songs that integrity is the most important thing to the Chapel Hill, N.C., country-punk outfit. “A lot of artists are in this industry for fame, recognition, and money but those things don’t mean anything to me,” says bandleader River Shook. “Songwriting is it for me. It’s the only real healthy coping mechanism I’ve ever had. It’s life-saving. I don’t care about any superficial things when I’m making a record.” On their resonant fourth album Revelations, produced by Shook, these raw and resilient tracks come first. Throughout, Shook’s deft storytelling documents regular people getting by and keeping on, all presented without filter or pretension. These are lived-in stories about real people with real dreams, atmospheric pasts, and inescapable problems. “I think of myself as a collector: I just go around and collect experiences and observations,” says Shook. “I’m still adjusting to writing songs as a sober person but a lot of the themes are just about being a working person and navigating mental health and relationships with other people going through the same things.”
Omar Souleyman
Erbil
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Erbil is the new album from Omar Souleyman — the world’s dabke singer par excellence. The new album is named for the city in Iraq that offered solace and embraced Souleyman during recent uneasy times. The move to Erbil came rich with new experiences and friendships best celebrated in joyous songs dedicated to a new chapter of life. Erbil’s 8 tracks see the Syrian wedding singer turned global electronic music icon again teaming up with his longtime keyboard player Hasan Jamo alo for an ever ambitious and forward thinking techno-meets-Dabke sound. Beyond his move to Erbil, Iraq, the past several years have seen Souleyman stage massive live performances in Saudi Arabia, United Emirates and the wider Middle East, as well as returning to the U.S. after a six-year break, with performances in L.A. and New York City, all while his touring continued strong throughout Europe and the rest of the world.”
Sum 41
Heaven :x: Hell
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Grammy-nominated band Sum 41 have announced that their upcoming double album Heaven :x: Hell will be their final release as a collective. Fittingly, it’s their most ambitious album yet — Heaven is 10 tracks of snarling high energy pop punk, while Hell consists of 10 heavy metal anthems spiked with fret-burning solos, thrashing riffs, and fist-pumping hooks. The band have been straddling the line of pop-punk and metal for their entire career, and Heaven :x: Hell is a testament to their innovative sound and unmatched skill, proving them as pioneers 27 years after the bands inception. On the new album, vocalist Deryck Whibley says, “Once I heard the music, I was confident enough to say, ‘This is the record I’d like to go out on.’ We’ve made a double album of pop punk and metal, and it makes sense. It took a long time for us to pave this lane for ourselves, but we did, and it’s unique to us.”
Texas & Spooner Oldham
The Muscle Shoals Sessions
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “After an emphatic 2023 that saw a career-spanning anthology and a standout set at Glastonbury, Texas and legendary American songwriter and pianist Spooner Oldham will release their first joint album The Muscle Shoals Sessions. Recorded at the renowned Fame Recording Studio in Alabama during the summer of 2022, the album features 12 of Texas’s greatest hits, and two covers (Would I Lie To You by Charles and Eddie and Save The Last Dance by The Drifters) – reimagined and laid bare. Stripped back to their bare bones, guided by the soulful voice of Sharleen Spiteri, accompanied by the delicate piano lines of Spooner Oldham, the songs simply shine in this format and prove their worth as sheer standalone timeless classics. Spiteri says: “To have the option to go to Muscle Shoals to record was like being a little kid in a sweet shop. Working with Spooner was inspiring, fun and he’s just a wonderful human being. The fact that Northern Soul music has been such a massive influence for Texas made the fit with Spooner just right. Him writing Keep On Talking was essential to us recording it for this album.”
