Not For Sale
Fans of Eric Church, Chris Stapleton and Gary Allan will appreciate the gritty truthfulness of Pawn Shop, the highly anticipated debut album from the Brothers Osborne. Standout songs include the tongue-in-cheek title track, the Grammy nominated “Stay A Little Longer” and the heartfelt “Loving Me Back,” a collaboration with the timeless voiced Lee Ann Womack. –Rachel Whitney
CURATOR’S PICK
PJ Harvey delivers a powerhouse performance on new single “The Wheel.”
Inspired by Kosovo, the punchy, lucid, riff-heavy haunting chant (along with tracks off her upcoming ninth studio album), were born out of Harvey’s recent writing sessions at London’s Somerset House. It was here that visitors could watch her through a one-way mirror in a custom studio. We’re all ears! –Michelle Solomon
Indie Sub Of The Week
I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore…
Post-rock/post-metal bands are a dime a dozen these days, but Rhode Island’s Wichita (huh?) easily hold their own against the big boys (Mogwai, Russian Circles, etc.). Wichita is rooted firmly in nineties style math rock, but its majestic sonic sprawl encompasses brooding Godspeed like bombast, chiming, crystalline shimmer and lush, shoegaze heaviness. –Andee Connors
RÜFÜS give heartache a beat.
Australian trio RÜFÜS is known for tropical vibes, even adding sunny suffix “DU SOL” for North America. But after decamping to Berlin to record sophomore album Bloom, they’ve explored cool minimalism and melancholy, joining whispery heartbroken lyrics to impeccably produced deep house. Epic nine-minute album-closer “Innerbloom” points to exciting new horizons. –Party Ben
Is it possible to adore Savages more?
Savages returns with their deepest work yet. Adore is a hauntingly moody masterpiece that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Vocalist Jehnny Beth belts out this dark emotional tune, which sounds like the intersection of PJ Harvey and Bjork. The epic-ending climax can be only summed in one word: flawless. –Crystal Lowe
A day at the spa for the ears…
The lush soundscapes of Clouds of David were produced by Damon Palermo, otherwise known as Magic Touch. Ditching the house vibes of that project, here he reimagines ‘90s ambient (like The KLF using Kitaro’s sound bank) with nods to shoegaze drift and spa music all worked into a soothing oceanic blur. –Diego Gonzalez
Less dub, no step.
Ex-Vex’d dubstepper Roly Porter delves further into the sonic abyss, having essentially now ditched the dance floor completely in favor of dense, dramatic, cinematic sound design. Third Law balances bursts of gristled grind and heaving swells of low-end rumble with hushed, haunting ambience and smeared, digital errata, sounding like a Ridley Scott score by Tim Hecker! –Andee Connors
San Francisco hard rock quartet bestows a space-thrash opus.
Space exploration is fun, but Pins Of Light understand that the rocky re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere is where things really get exciting. Their second album Home finds the sonic astronauts replacing their rocket thrusters with behemoth guitar amps blasting distorted, sonic, propulsion as their ship’s captain howls into the cosmos. –Eric Shea
