For the Record
The Get Up Kids - Problems (Ltd. Ed. Blue Vinyl)
On their new album Problems - their first full-length in eight years - The Get Up Kids examine everything from life-changing loss to loneliness to the inevitable anxiety of existing in 2019. But by sustaining the essence of their sound - anthemic choruses with sing-along-ready melodies - the band highlights those troubles as a shared experience, giving way to an unbreakable solidarity. And at the heart of Problems is an invaluable element the band's embodied since their 1997 debut Four Minute Mile: a penetrating lyricism that's both acutely introspective and indelibly resonant.
Cris Jacobs - Colors Where You Are (Ltd. Ed. Splatter Vinyl)
When Cris Jacobs began dreaming about a follow-up to his critically acclaimed 2016 album Dust to Gold, he realized early on he'd have to do things differently this time around. "This record brought about a new discipline for me and a new level of focus that I think brought out the best work," he explains. Color Where You Are is a Tom Petty-inspired arrangement with an off-kilter, syncopated groove. For the first time, Jacobs wrote the bulk of the album's songs in the studio, camping out at Richmond's Montrose Studios to flesh out "germs and ideas that had been floating around" with band members Todd Herrington (bass), Dusty Ray Simmons (drums/percussion) and Jonathan Sloane (guitar).
Kelly Finnigan - The Tales People Tell (Ltd. Ed. Red Vinyl)
Kelly Finnigan's debut solo album for Colemine Records represents the culmination of his 15 years of experience - in the studio as a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, engineer, producer - and touring the US and Europe as a singer, musician, and band-leader. The content within reflects his dedication to expression through the rich American music traditions of soul, gospel, doo-wop, and R&B. The subject is love. It's ecstasies and heartaches. Love sought, found, betrayed, lost, and rediscovered. The result is a marvelous collection of songs and performances that run the gamut from whispering tenderness to roaring appeals; from lean and mean to lush and lovely. And always... always, manifestly honest, and undeniably soulful. With Finnigan guiding these songs from their conception all the way to the record pressing plant, the new release provides the singular voice missing from soul music: a visionary that writes, records, performs and produces his own material.
Motley Crue - The Dirt: O.S.T. (Ltd. Ed. 180G 2XLP)
Original soundtrack. Dirt, the film, is the story of how Mötley Crüe came to be one of the most notorious rock 'n roll groups in history. Motley Crue release the 18-song soundtrack for The Dirt film. Bassist Nikki Sixx says: "During the filming of our movie we got excited and inspired to write new music. "Getting back in the studio with Bob Rock just fueled the creative fires for us. To me, the music sounds like classic Motley. The lyrics were written for the movie and are a reflection of our life."
Catfish and the Bottlemen - The Balance
Vinyl LP pressing. 2019 release. Audiences from Manchester to Melbourne, London to Los Angeles, Newcastle to New York, and everywhere in between have been engulfed by the swell of eager sentiment propelled from a vociferous fanbase. Catfish and the Bottlemen possess a magnetic and dynamic focal point in Van McCann, renowned for posing every day, easily identifiable observations through his lyrics.
Cage the Elephant - Social Cues (Ltd. Ed. Dark Green Vinyl)
The fifth studio album by rock band Cage the Elephant. Social Cues follows Cage the Elephant's Grammy-winning Tell Me I'm Pretty from 2015, as well as their 2017 live album, Unpeeled. There are 13 tracks in total including a collaboration with Beck titled, "Night Running". Cage the Elephant formed in 2006 and relocated to London, England, in 2008 before their first album was released. The band's first album was released in 2008 to much success, spawning several successful radio singles and gained the band a large following in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
Josh Ritter - Fever Breaks (Ltd. Ed. Clear Mint Vinyl)
FEVER BREAKS, the tenth studio album from acclaimed singer, songwriter and performer Josh Ritter, will be released April 26 via Pytheas Recordings/Thirty Tigers. Produced by Grammy Award-winning musician Jason Isbell, the 10-song record was recorded at Nashville's historic RCA Studio A and features Isbell's band, the 400 Unit. Of the album, Ritter shares with Rolling Stone, "The songs are very reflective of the times in which they were written," he explains. "As we started coming together and playing, the songs that felt like they were gonna work really jumped out as obvious. From there on, after we recorded in August [2018] we had this really nice time to stop and listen and let the songs marinate a little bit. In that time, the world has just become even crazier. There's a lot of the record that feels reflective of the moment."
