Recommended New Releases

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Iceage – You’re Nothing
Iceage’s self-produced second album is even better than their debut. It’s the quartet’s first offering for the larger label Matador (the album’s still being released by Escho in Denmark) and they come off even wilder and more chaotic than they did in 2011, but also more experienced and nuanced. They’ve honed the uncanny sense of classic punk songwriting– the guitar sound’s huge, the hooks more present, the charisma of dead-eyed, out-of-breath vocalist Elias Bender Rønnenfelt even greater. When you listen to the two records in tandem, you realize how brittle New Brigade was: “brittle” in an excellently fuzzed, rancid way, but You’re Nothing is a heftier experience. Read the full review on Pitchfork

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Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside – Untamed Beast
I’m sure Sallie Ford is a lovely and polite woman but on record she comes across as brash, crude and not the least bit unapologetic for her actions. She’ll sex you up as easy as she’ll kick your ass, and is comfortable with every action. For someone who loves a little bit of dirt and grime with their music, Untamed Beast, really hits the spot. Read the full review on Hear Ya

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Mount Mariah – Miracle Temple
Mount Moriah is also a surprising bit of beauty considering its genesis. Heather McEntire was the singer for the excellently brash rock band Bellafea, while guitar Jenks Miller is best known in North Carolina for his Southern-gothic-psych-metal outfit Horseback. But two years ago the two teamed up—for the second time, their first a pop act called Un Deux Trois—and released Mount Moriah, a soulful, bittersweet breath of fresh air. That album was lush and melted at the edges and pensive, Miller’s guitar lines circling around the honeyed vulnerability of McEntire’s voice. Read the full review on Pop Matters