1. Death By Stereo, Umphrey’s McGee
2. Wrecking Ball, Bruce Springsteen
3. Voice of Ages, Chieftains
4. 21, Adele
5. Some Nights, Fun.
6. Release Me, Lyle Lovett
7. Leaving Eden, Carolina Chocolate Drops
8. Women and Work, Lucero
9. Break It Yourself, Andrew Bird
10. Delta Spirit, Delta Spirit
11. We All Raise Our Voices to the Air, The Decemberists
12. Blues Funeral, Mark Lanegan Band
13. Arrow, The Heartless Bastards
14. Born to Die, Lana Del Rey
15. El Camino, The Black Keys
16. Live at the Carousel Ballroom, Big Brother and the Holding Company
17. Dead Fingers, Dead Fingers
18. Bringing in the Darlings, Josh Ritter
19. Agnostic Hymns and Stoner Fables, Todd Snider
20. Dive, Tycho
A DECEMBERISTS DOUBLE LIVE ALBUM AND OTHER RX CD RECOMMENDATIONS
BUY THE CD HERE
While it’s probably true to surmise that the critical reaction afforded to The Decemberists‘ last two studio records has generally been pitched below that of their earlier work (highly unfairly in my opinion, I’d place the glorious, rollercoaster insanity that was 2009’s The Hazards of Love comfortably in my best albums of the past five years list), there has always been a feeling that The Decemberists are a band that are best appreciated live.
In a way that can’t quite be replicated through simple speakers, Colin Meloy’s swarthy, charmed and oft-grisly tales spring to life on the stage: a space where the band can fully indulge their theatrical penchant and love of gleeful excess. And while We All Raise Our Voices to the Air – Live Songs can’t quite replicate the pantomime interaction of the live shows (great as ‘The Mariners Revenge Song’ is on here, you really need to see Meloy throwing his arms wide and screaming as the whale devours him to really ‘get it’ – accompanying DVD maybe?), it’s actually a remarkably feisty live record which manages to capture the carnival of their live show with admirable aplomb. — Drowned in Sound
OTHER NEW CD RECOMMENDATIONS:
Lucero Women and Work
The Ting Tings Sounds from Nowheresville
Cannibal Corpse Torture (deluxe edition also available)
Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs Long Distance
Dropkick Murphys Going Out in Style Deluxe
Big Brother and the Holding Company Live at the Carousel Ballroom
Say Anything Anarchy My Dear
Soulfly Enslaved
Once Original Cast Recording
Caetano Veloso and David Byrne Live at Carnegie Hall
Krzysztof Penderecki and Jonny Greenwood 48 Responses to Polymorphia
Anya Marina Felony Flats
MARCH IS METAL MONTH AT THE RX!
The Record Exchange is melting faces all month long with Metal Month!
Visit the store today and score sweet deals on the following titles. We’ll even give you a free March is Metal Month CD Sampler (18 tracks; see below for song list) with your purchase!
METAL MONTH SALE CD TITLES:
Krisiun The Great Execution $12.99
ICS Vortex Storm Seeker $12.99
Earth Crisis Neutralize the Threat $12.99
World Under Blood Tactical $12.99
Demonaz March of the Norse $12.99
Lock Up Necropolis Transparent $12.99
Mayan Quarterpast $12.99
Chrome Division 3rd Round Knockout $12.99
Hammerfall Infected $12.99
Eluveitie As It Never Was $12.99
Before the Dawn Deathstar Rising $12.99
Keep the Kalessin Reptilian $12.99
Five Finger Death Punch The Way of the Fist $14.99
King Kobra King Kobra $14.99
House of Lords Big Money $14.99
Decapitated Carnival is Forever Deluxe $14.99
Lacuna Coil Shallow Life Expanded $14.99
Anaal Nathrakh Passion $12.99
Krum Bums Cut the Noose $11.99
Sleeping Giant Kingdom Days in an Evil Age $11.99
The Great Commission Heavy Worship $11.99
In Flames Sounds of a Playground Fading Deluxe $19.99
Vile Metamorphosis $9.99
Putridity Degenerating Anthropophagical Euphoria $9.99
Macabre Grim Scary Tales $9.99
Septic Flesh The Great Mass $10.99
Mad Sin Burn and Rise $10.99
Megadeth Peace Sells … But Who’s Buying? $9.99
Vale of Pnath The Prodigal Empire $9.99
MARCH IS METAL MONTH 2012 SAMPLER TRACK LIST:
1. Undaunted – Adrenaline Mob
2. Kill the Light – Lacuna Coil
3. The Tragic Truth – Five Finger Death Punch
4. Do Not Look Down – Meshuggah
5. Where Dead Ships Dwell – In Flames
6. The Money Changers – Corrosion Of Conformity
7. Anthem – Iced Earth
8. Leather Lord (Worn Leather mix) – 3 Inches Of Blood
9. Lightning & Snow – Woods Of Ypres
10. Storm the Sorrow – Epica
11. Plague of Conscience – Savage Messiah
12. The Serpent – Rise To Remain
13. Dagger – Vildhjarta
14. The Art of Atrocity – Sophicide
15. Subterfuge – Terrorizer
16. The Devil’s Messenger – The Devastated
17. Meandering Through the Shadows – Insomnium
18. Perverter of Will – Lord Mantis
THE VINYL WORD: EARTH'S ANGELS OF DARKNESS, DEMONS OF LIGHT II ON WAX!
BUY THE VINYL HERE
Recorded during the same session as last year’s sublime Angels of Darkness I, the followup sees Dylan Carlson’s Earth take their panoramic instrumentals, heavy on improvisation this time, into uncharted territories. Releasing twin albums a year apart might seem like excessive prevarication, but in the context of Earth’s lugubrious pace, that’s practically a simultaneous release. As with so much of Carlson’s work, these five songs suggest a mournful last dance in the decrepit roadhouse of some faded midwest mining town. But its the little flourishes that make them truly majestic: the droning psyche-folk thrum of “His Teeth Did Brightly Shine;” the country twang and graceful melodies of “A Multiplicity of Doors;” and the warm, reverb-heavy funk (and, yes, that’s a word you don’t hear often attached to this four-piece) of the album’s closer, “The Rakehell,” which brings to mind Lalo Schifrin’s Dirty Harry soundtracks. This is easily the equal of, if not superior to, its illustrious companion. — Guardian
OTHER NEW VINYL RELEASES:
Delta Spirit Delta Spirit
Lucero Women and Work
Cannibal Corpse Torture
Say Anything Anarchy My Dear
Justice On’n’On
Holly Golighty and the Brokeoffs Long Distance
Corrosion of Conformity Corrosion of Conformity
Laura Marling Alas I Cannot Swim
Laura Marling I Speak Because I Can
Ben Frost and Daniel Bjarnason Solaris
NEW RELEASE OF THE WEEK: DELTA SPIRIT'S SELF-TITLED THIRD ALBUM
BUY THE CD HERE
BUY THE VINYL HERE
Delta Spirit‘s Matt Vasquez was the wild card on last year’s Middle Brother LP, the singer/songwriter project with Dawes traditionalist Taylor Goldsmith and Deer Tick wildman John McCauley. The transitional third record by Vasquez’s main band pushes their roots-minded songs into bed with electronic toys, where they assume nifty positions: the invisible chorus of “California,” the magnified vocal tics on “Tellin’ The Mind,” which connect Little Richard and Rahzel. The synthetic colors can seem superfluous, nodding to an indie-rock era where textural novelty often trumps songcraft. But on a track like “Yamaha,” a falsetto-and-drone-draped confessional to Vasquez’s wife, his band proves it can nail both. — Rolling Stone