Release Day Picks: January 26th 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 Steep Canyon Rangers, Calexico, Ty Segall, Khruangbin and Frank Hannon. Read on for more insight into the records we have all queued up to spin.

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Steep Canyon Rangers – Out In The Open

The Scoop: Yes, the Steep Canyon Rangers have a long-standing relationship with comedian/banjo player Steve Martin, but the North Carolina-based act are also an accomplished Grammy-winning band on their own. The six-piece act is back on their own with their latest release Out In The Open, their first stand-alone collection since 2015’s Radio. The Joe Henry-produced effort, their first on Ramseur Records, finds them continuing to fine-tune their take on that high and lonesome sound growing as songwriters bridging the gap between Bill Monroe and more modern-day influences. Give a listen to the album’s lead single “Going Midwest”:

Label: Ramseur Records

Producer: Joe Henry

Number Of Tracks: 12

Running Time: 46:00

Guest Musicians: N/A

Tracklist:

1. Farmers And Pharaohs
2. Let Me Out Of This Town
3. Out In The Open
4. Can’t Get Home
5. Going Midwest
6. When She Was Mine
7. Love Harder
8. Shenandoah Valley
9. Best Of Me
10. Roadside Anthem
11. Let Me Die In My Footsteps
12. The Speed We’re Traveling

Stream / Download / CD/LP

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Calexico – The Thread That Keeps Us

The Scoop: For their latest release The Thread That Keeps Us, Calexico headed from their home base of Tuscon, Arizona to Northern California. The band hunkered down in a studio they dubbed “The Phantom Ship” walking away with a 15-track LP that fuses their longtime Tex-Americana sound with the harsh jagged edges of the California coastline. The band’s ninth studio album features, “A little more chaos and noise in the mix than what we’ve done in the past,” according to vocalist/guitarist Joey Burns. Check out the lyric video for “Under The Wheels”:

Label: ANTI-/Epitaph

Producer: Joey Burns, John Convertino, Craig Schumacher

Number Of Tracks:15

Tracklist:

1. End Of The World With You
2. Voice In The Field
3. Bridge To Nowhere
4. Spinball
5. Under The Wheels
6. The Town & Miss Loraine
7. Flores y Tamales
8. Another Space
9. Unconditional Waltz
10. Girl In The Forest
11. Eyes Wide Awake
12. Dead In The Water
13. Shortboard
14. Thrown To The Wild
15. Music Box

Stream / Download / CD/LP

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Ty Segall – Freedom’s Goblin

The Scoop: It seems almost impossible to keep up with Ty Segall’s studio output. The psychedelic rocker has put out a career’s worth of material between LPs, EPs, and singles. To say he’s prolific may actually be an understatement. Segall has put out a new full-length record every year since 2008. His latest release, his 10th in a 10-year span, is the sprawling Freedom’s Golbin. The acid-drenched 19-track effort is a genre-hopping kaleidoscope of sounds that incorporates everything from garage rock, to folk, to soul, to jangle pop. Listen to the album’s lead single “Fanny Dog”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lCXuSe6L80

Label: Drag City

Producer: Steve Albini (Engineer), Facundo Bermudez (Engineer), Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell (Engineer),

Number Of Tracks: 19

Running Time: 01:14:57

Guest Musicians: Fred Armisen, Ben Boye, Nick Broste, Mikal Cronin,Maro Franklin, Gerald Bailey, Emmett Kelly, David Levine, Savannah Macias, Lannie McMillan, Charles Moothart, Jason Yasinsky

Tracklist:

1. Fanny Dog
2. Rain
3. Every 1’s a Winner
4. Despoiler of Cadaver
5. When Mommy Kills You
6. My Lady’s on Fire
7. Alta
8. Cry Cry Cry
9. Shoot You Up
10. You Say All The Nice Things
11. The Last Waltz
12. She
13. Prison
14. Talkin
15. The Main Pretender
16. I’m Free
17. 5 Ft. Tall
18. And, Goodnight

Stream / Download / CD/LP

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Khruangbin – Con Todo El Mundo

The Scoop: Khruangbin – the psychedelic fusion trio of bassist Laura Lee, guitarist Mark Speer and drummer Donald “DJ” Johnson – are back with their follow-up to their 2015 debut The Universe Smiles Upon You. The 10-track sophomore effort once again finds the Texas-based band pulling from international inspirations, in the case of Con Todo El Mundo it’s funk and soul music of the Middle East, especially Iran. Lee shared the source of the album’s title, stating: “My grandpa would always ask me ‘Como me quieres?’ (‘how much do you love me’?), and he’d only ever accept one response. ‘Con todo el mundo’ (With all the world).” Here’s the release day appropriate “Friday Morning” off the new album:

Label: Dead Oceans

Number Of Tracks: 10

Running Time: 41:56

Guest Musicians: N/A

Tracklist:

1. Cómo Me Quieres
2. Lady and Man
3. Maria También
4. August 10
5. Cómo Te Quiero
6. Shades of Man
7. Evan Finds the Third Room
8. A Hymn
9. Rules
10. Friday Morning

Stream / Download / CD/LP

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Frank Hannon – From One Place … To Another

The Scoop: Tesla guitarist Frank Hannon today releases the first installment of his From One Place…To Another series of albums. Hannon started the project a few years back and enlisted a number of his musical friends to contribute to a batch of cover songs, tributes and collaborations. Frank’s aim was to “find his voice” as he learned how to sing lead vocals. The Tesla songwriter and lead guitarist was encouraged by his father-in-law Dickey Betts “to step up the microphone with guitar in hand.” Dickey’s Allman Brothers Band classic “Blue Sky” is among the tunes found on today’s release and Hannon recruited Duane Betts to contribute. Other guests include Paul Jackson of Blackberry Smoke and the Nelson brothers Matthew Nelson and Gunnar Nelson who added to Frank’s version of their father Ricky Nelson’s “Garden Party.” Hannon also tackles “You’re My Best Friend,” a song made famous by Queen, and Lukas Nelson’s “Four Letter Word,” among others. Listen to Frank Hannon’s version of “Blue Sky” featuring Duane Betts:

Label: Self-Released

Producer: Frank Hannon

Number Of Tracks: 10

Guest Musicians: Duane Betts, Paul Jackson, Tommy Curiale, Alyson Kimball, Matthew Nelson, Gunnar Nelson, Ron Keel

Tracklist:

1. “Blue Sky” feat. Duane Betts (Dickey Betts / Allman Brothers Band)
2. “Call Me The Breeze” feat. Paul Jackson of Blackberry Smoke (JJ Cale, made famous by Lynyrd Skynyrd)
3. “Under The Milky Way” feat. Duane Betts (The Church)
4. “Jim Dandy To the Rescue” feat. Tommy Curiale & Alyson Kimball of Johnny Winters Band (Lincoln Chase, made famous by Laverne Baker & Black Oak Arkansas)
5. “You’re My Best Friend” (John Deacon made famous by QUEEN)
6. “Garden Party” feat. Matthew & Gunnar Nelson (Rick Nelson)
7. “Sunrise in Texas” (Blackberry Smoke, Michael Tolcher)
8. “I Hear Ya Knockin’” (Dave Bartholomew)
9. “Joy To The World” feat. Ron Keel (Hoyt Axton)
10. “Four Letter Word” (Lukas Nelson)

Stream / Download / CD/LP

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Compiled by Jeffrey Greenblatt, Andy Kahn and Scott Bernstein.