Release Day Picks: August 31st New Album Highlights

Each week Release Day Picks profiles new LPs and EPs Team JamBase will be checking out on release day Friday. This week we highlight new albums by Iron & Wine, Amos Lee and Big Red Machine. Read on for more insight into the records we have all queued up to spin.

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Iron & Wine – Weed Garden

The Scoop: Earlier this year, Iron & Wine headed to Wilco’s Chicago studio The Loft. Accompanied by his current touring band, Sam Beam set out the to record a batch of unfinished songs that he originally considered for his 2017 release Beast Epic. The result is the six-track EP Weed Garden. The collection includes the longtime fan-favorite “Waves of Galveston,” which dates back to the sessions for 2013’s Ghost On Ghost and was featured online for The Onion’s AV Club State Songs series.

Label: Sub Pop Records

Producer: Sam Beam

Number Of Tracks: 6

Running Time: 20:12

Guest Musicians: Joe Adamik, Jim Becker, Rob Burger, Sebastian Steinberg, Teddy Rankin-Parker

Tracklist:

1. What Hurts Worse
2. Waves Of Galveston
3. Last Of Your Rock ‘n’ Roll Heroes
4. Milkweed
5. Autumn Town Leaves
6. Talking To Fog

Download / CD/LP

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Amos Lee – My New Moon

The Scoop: Singer-songwriter Amos Lee penned 10 new originals for inclusion on his Dualtone Records debut. My New Moon is described in press materials as “the product of a period of intense connection and loss, marking [Lee’s] most personal collection to date.” Amos recorded the LP with producer Tony Berg at Zeitgeist Studio in Los Angeles. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ keyboardist Benmont Tench is among a batch of contributors that also includes Ethan Gruska, Blake Mills, Patrick Warren and Greg Leisz.

Label: Dualtone Music

Producer: Tony Berg

Number Of Tracks: 10

Running Time: 38:05

Guest Musicians: Ethan Gruska, Blake Mills, Benmont Tench, Patrick Warren, Greg Leisz, Rob Moose

Tracklist:

1. No More Darkness, No More Light
2. Louisville
3. Little Light
4. All You Got Is A Song
5. I Get Weak
6. Crooked
7. Hang On, Hang On
8. Don’t Give A Damn Anymore
9. Whiskey On Ice
10. Don’t Fade Away

Download / CD/LP

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Big Red Machine – Big Red Machine

The Scoop: The National‘s Aaron Dessner and Bon Iver‘s Justin Vernon formed the loose collective Big Red Machine for improvisational performances held in 2017 at events such as Eaux Claires, Haven and Sounds From A Safe Harbor. The project takes its name from an instrumental song co-written and recorded by Vernon and Dessner (prior to meeting person) for the 2009 Red Hot Organization charity album Dark Was The Night. Big Red Machine is affiliated with PEOPLE collective and digital platform spearheaded by Vernon and Dessner and that includes many of the large number of musicians that contributed to the debut album.

Label: PEOPLE

Producer: Aaron Dessner, Justin Vernon, Brad Cook

Number Of Tracks: 10

Running Time: 46:47

Guest Musicians: Andi Toma, Andrew Broder, Andrew Janns, Ben Lanz, Ben Russell,Beth Meyers, Brad Cook, Bryan Devendorf, Bryce Dessner, Camilla Staveley-Taylor, Emily Staveley-Taylor, James McAlister, Jan St. Werner, Jessica Staveley-Taylor, JT Bates, Justin Vernon, Kate Stables, Lisa Hannigan, Matt McCaughan, Mina Tindle, Monica Davis, Nick Lloyd, Phoebe Bridgers, Richard Reed Parry, Rob Moose, Steve Hassett, Trever Hagen, Zoe Randell

Tracklist:

1. Deep Green
2. Gratitude
3. Lyla
4. Air Stryp
5. Hymnostic
6. Forest Green
7. OMBD
8. People Lullaby
9. I Won’t Run from It
10. Melt

Download / CD/LP

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Compiled by Jeffrey Greenblatt, Andy Kahn and Scott Bernstein.