Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard record an album together for the first time in 32 years.
Not since 1983’s Pancho & Lefty has the Red Headed Stranger and The Hag stepped into a studio and cut an entire album together. Django and Jimmie (named for the two outlaws’ childhood heroes) sounds as timeless as their previous long-player, albeit more weathered. –Eric Shea
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CURATOR’S DISCOVERY
Slow your roll on the streets of South Side Los Angeles and roll one up tight for the new Dom Kennedy.
West Coast rhymes over soulful beats floating in the sunshine. The next generation of hip-hop knows how to kill it over any tempo, so lean back and vibe out to By Dom Kennedy. –J Boogie
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Indigo Girls in fine form!
Retaining their trademark intricate harmonies as well as exploiting the differences between Amy Ray’s gruffer voice and Emily Salier’s sweeter lilt, the Indigo Girls have expanded their palette significantly since their early days of just the two of them and their acoustic guitars. On One Lost Day they predominantly go for a country vibe. Beautiful! –Diego Gonzalez
Morgan Page shines on energetic DC to Light
Progressive house producer Morgan Page has long been the master of soaring melodies and hypnotic breakdowns. He recorded DC to Light (his fourth album for Nettwerk) entirely with solar power, which might explain the extra heat: it’s a more intense and dynamic sound, with powerful drops perfect for sweaty summer festivals. –Party Ben
A new batch of sickly, sweet, sonic, bong-smoke from these stoner sludge vets.
Dixie Dave and his Weedeater brethren are back, and come bearing gifts: a sawed off shotgun, a jug of moonshine, a bag of kush and Goliathan – a wicked, wasted sprawl of slo-mo Southern rock infused weed-metal. Turn on, tune DOWN and drop out! –Andee Connors
Nathaniel Russell brings six-string strumming excellence on raw new LP.
Indiana-based troubadour Nathaniel Russell makes rad paintings, murals, ‘zines and now, a gorgeous record called Sunlight. In the same vein as fellow indie folk troubadour Little Wings, tracks like “The Shore And Its Sand” and “It Is Hard To Be Good” are mellow, introspective and oftentimes really heavy, man. –Michelle Solomon
New York punk ‘n’ roll band recalls the past while chugging forward.
Max’s Kansas City and CBGB are long gone, but Dirty Fences embody the spirits of the Big Apple’s punk rock heyday – when Ramones and The Dictators rocked regularly. Full Tramp is so authentically old-school, even the album’s cover photo looks like it was shot in the early ‘70s. –Eric Shea