With the coming weekend bringing untold excitement to independent record retailers, this week’s new releases are likely to catch your eye while perusing the racks and bins. Please note that Record Store Day-exclusive releases are not included in this roundup, but you should take a moment to learn about our own RSD release, WXPN Homegrown Originals Vol. 3.
Building off last fall’s teaser EP, Bon Iver’s SABLE, fABLE streamlines Justin Vernon’s experimental tendencies into a dozen richly textured compositions. Featuring contributions from M. Ward and the Blind Boys of Alabama, Valerie June delivers enchanting incantations on Owls, Omens, and Oracles. Inspired by the biotechnical philosophies of Stuart Kauffman, OK Go’s And the Adjacent Possible explores the relationship between the natural and the synthetic. Two generations of New Orleans music makers collide as funk collective Galatic team up with legendary soul singer Irma Thomas on Audience with the Queen.
Following their involvement in collaborative projects Mountain Man and The A’s, Alex Sauser-Monnig returns to their solo project, Daughter of Swords; their dynamic second full-length, Alex, was produced by Nick and Amelia from Sylvan Esso. Beloved for their playful early ‘90s hits, Spin Doctors’ second act is now more than 20 years strong; Face Full of Cake is the first album in a dozen years from the Chris Barron-fronted quartet. Toronto-based Cold Specks returns from hiatus with Light for the Midnight, a stark-yet-hopeful offering that emerged from a challenging decade in the life of songwriter Ladan Hussein. Hex Key is the third full-length from Mamalarky, whose scrambled take on art-rock is complex but inviting.
Listen for spotlights on new records like these (and more) every week on the XPN Morning Show and Indie Rock Hit Parade.
PRESS PLAY on these new releases
Bon Iver – SABLE, fABLE
CHECK OUT: “Everything is Peaceful Love” “If Only I Could Wait (feat. Danielle Haim)”
Valerie June – Owls, Omens, and Oracles
CHECK OUT: “Joy, Joy!” “Sweet Things Just for You”
OK Go – And the Adjacent Possible
CHECK OUT: “A Stone Only Rolls Downhill” “Take Me with You”
Galactic and Irma Thomas – Audience with the Queen
CHECK OUT: “Lady Liberty” “Where I Belong”
Daughter of Swords – Alex
CHECK OUT: “Alone Together” “Money Hits”
Spin Doctors – Face Full of Cake
CHECK OUT: “Still a Gorilla” “Rock ‘n’ Roll Heaven”
Cold Specks – Light for the Midnight
CHECK OUT: “How it Feels” “Venus in Pieces”
Mamalarky – Hex Key
CHECK OUT: “Nothing Lasts Forever” “Feels So Wrong”