Release Day Picks: June 23rd 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 Jeff Tweedy, Yonder Mountain String Band, 311, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Naughty Professor and Doc & Merle Watson. Read on for more insight into the records we have all queued up to spin.

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Jeff Tweedy – Together At Last

The Scoop: There seems to be no slowing down Jeff Tweedy these days. Over the last handful of years he has put out two Wilco albums, recorded and released an album with his son as Tweedy, and produced records by Joan Shelley, White Denim and Kacy & Clayton. The one thing that the singer-songwriter hadn’t done until now was release a proper solo album. Together At Last finds Tweedy stripping down 11 songs from his career (nine Wilco tunes plus one each from a pair of side-projects Loose Fur and Golden Smog) down to their bare basics by giving them the solo acoustic treatment. The results are an album full of fragile interpretations that let the Tweedy’s vocals and guitar playing shine. Give a listen to Tweedy’s take on the Loose Fur track “Laminated Cat”:

Label: Anti/Epitaph

Producer: Jeff Tweedy

Number Of Tracks: 11

Running Time: 38:22

Guest Musicians: N/A

Tracklist:

1. Via Chicago
2. Laminated Cat
3. Lost Love
4. Muzzle Of Bees
5. Ashes Of American Flags
6. Dawned On Me
7. In A Future Age
8. I Am Trying To Break Your Heart
9. Hummingbird
10. I’m Always In Love
11. Sky Blue Sky

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Yonder Mountain String Band – Love. Ain’t Love

The Scoop: Jamgrass five-piece Yonder Mountain String Band teamed with longtime collaborator John McVey to produce their latest studio album, Love. Ain’t Love. The band’s new LP was mostly recorded at Coupe Studios in Yonder’s home base of Boulder and focuses on material the group has been road testing over the course of recent tours. YMSB used to take a more aggressive approach to their music, but Love. Ain’t Love shows off the more mature Americana sound the band has honed of late. The album mixes originals and covers including a version of King Harvest’s “Dancing In The Moonlight” sung by mandolin player Jake Jolliff. Another standout track is “Bad Taste” featuring lead vocals from guitarist Adam Aijala. Watch the video for “Bad Taste”:

Label: Frog Pad Records

Producer: Yonder Mountain String Band & John McVey

Number Of Tracks: 13

Running Time: 52:34

Guest Musicians: N/A

Tracklist:

1. Alison
2. Fall Outta Line
3. Bad Taste
4. Take A Chance On Me
5. Chasing My Tail
6. Used To It
7. Eat In Go Deaf (Eat Out Go Broke)
8. Dancing In The Moonlight
9. On Your Dime
10. Kobe The Dog
11. Last Of The Railroad Men
12. Up For Brinkley’s
13. Groovin’ Away

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311 – Mosaic

The Scoop: With a five-year gap since their last album, 311 rewarded fans with a beefy 17-track, 60+ minute new album chock full of their signature rock reggae sound. Beyond that though, the title Mosaic refers to the band aiming to pull pieces from more places and more members to create a cohesive album that comes together as a unified piece of art. The single “Too Much To Think” retains the familiar 311 sound and style as P-Nut and crew continue successfully doing what they do. A marker of the group’s longevity and success, Mosaic is the band’s 10th album and follows the last nine which all made the Billboard 200 Top 10. Here’s the “Too Much to Think” official music video:

Label: BMG

Producer: John Feldman, Scotch Ralston

Number Of Tracks: 17

Running Time: 60:32

Guest Musicians: N/A

Tracklist:

1. Too Much to Think
2. Wildfire
3. The Night Is Young
4. Island Sun
5. Perfect Mistake
6. Extension
7. Inside Our Home
8. ‘Til the City’s on Fire
9. Too Late
10. Hey Yo
11. Places That the Mind Goes
12. Face in the Wind
13. Forever Now
14. Days of ’88
15. One and the Same
16. Syntax Error
17. On a Roll

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King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Murder Of The Universe

The Scoop: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard came into 2017 with an ambitious plan – release five studio albums during the calendar year. The prolific psychedelic-rock act are well on their way to accomplishing that feat with their second release of the year in Murder Of The Universe. The 21-track, triple-album (which sounds daunting on paper, but clocks in at a mere 45+ minutes) is described as, “A concept album to end all concepts … A face-melting musical assault concerned with the downfall of man and the death of the plane.” Split out into three chapters, the record comes across as the soundtrack to an acid-drenched Dungeons & Dragons campaign for kids that are into Black Sabbath, Kraftwerk and the 13th Floor Elevators. Check out the video for “The Lord Of The Lightning vs. The Balrog”:

Label: ATO Records

Number Of Tracks: 21

Running Time: 46:38

Guest Musicians: N/A

Tracklist:

Disc One

1. A New World
2. Altered Beast I
3. After Me I
4. Altered Beast II
5. After Me II
6. Altered Beast III
7. After Me III
8. Altered Beast IV
9. Life/Death

Disc Two

1. Some Context
2. The Reticent Raconteur
3. The Lord Of Lightning
4. The Balrog
5. The Floating Fire
6. The Acrid Corpse

Disc Three

1. Welcome To An Altered Future
2. Digital Black
3. Han-Tyumi, The Confused Cyborg
4. Soy-Protein Munt Machine
5. Vomit Coffin
6. Murder Of The Universe

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Naughty Professor – Identity

The Scoop: New Orleans funk/soul outfit Naughty Professor has expanded into new musical terrain on their new album, Identity. Previous LPs showcased the group’s instrumental prowess, but the band went a different route for Identity. Naughty Professor welcomed a bevy of acclaimed collaborators to lend their vocal, instrumental and compositional skills to the Qmillion-produced effort. David Shaw of The Revivalists, keyboardist Ivan Neville and legendary hip-hop artist Chali 2na are just a few of those who contributed to Identity. Watch the video for “Without A Trace”:

Label: Self-Released

Producer: Qmillion

Number Of Tracks: 12

Running Time: 62:40

Guest Musicians: Cole De Genova, Chali 2na, Ivan Neville, Eric “Benny” Bloom, David Shaw, Jason Butler, Dexter Gilmore, Sasha Masakowski, Mike Dillon, Mykia Jovan, Cliff Hines, Julian Gosin, Big Ed Lee, Paul Robertson, Ed Williams

Tracklist:

1. Mirrors (feat. Cole DeGenova and Alexi Marti)
2. Sugar Coat (feat. Chali 2na and Ivan Neville)
3. Without A Trace (feat. Eric Benny Bloom)
4. Stray (feat. David Shaw and Cole DeGenova)
5. Do You Like Dragons (feat. Jason Butler)
6. I Can’t Sleep At Night (feat. Dexter Gilmore)
7. Through it All (feat. Sasha Masakowski and Cliff Hines)
8. Venison Poetry (feat. Mike Dillon)
9. Darker Daze (feat. Chali 2na and Dexter Gilmore)
10. Stolen Ones (feat. Mykia Jovan)
11. Psycho Switch (feat. Cliff Hines)
12. Funk 4 Lunch (feat. Members of The Soul Rebels)

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Doc & Merle Watson – Bear’s Sonic Journals: Never the Same Way Once – Live at the Boarding House – May 1974

The Scoop: Compiled from the “Sonic Journals” of the late great sound engineer Owsley “Bear” Stanley, the seven-CD, 94-track box set features four Doc & Merle Watsonn performances captured by Bear in May 1974. The acclaimed late father and son bluegrass duo can be heard playing shows on four consecutive nights marking the first official release from the Owsley Stanley Foundation which is home to more than 1,300 of Bear’s live recordings. “Bear had marked these shows as among the gems in his Sonic Journal archive, in both the quality of the performances and the quality of the sound,” said Bear’s son and Owsley Stanley Foundation president Starfinder Stanley, “which is one of the reasons we chose them as the first project to develop since his passing.”

Label: Owsley Stanley Foundation

Producer: Owsley Stanley, Jeffrey Norman

Number Of Tracks: 94

Guest Musicians: N/A

Tracklist:

Chapter 1: May 1, 1974 (reels 038-040)

1. Salty Dog Blues
2. Doc’s Talking Blues
3. Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)
4. Miss The Mississippi & You
5. Wabash Cannonball
6. Nancy Rowland
7. Solid Gone
8. Tennessee Stud
9. Frosty Morn
10. Matchbox Blues
11. Mama Don’t Allow No Music
12. Deep Elem Blues

Chapter 2: May 2, 1974 (reels 028-032)

1. Introduction
2. Good Ole Mountain Dew
3. Travellin’ Man
4. Miss The Mississippi & You
5. Wabash Cannonball
6. Leather Britches/Cotton Eyed Joe
7. A Rovin’ on a Winter’s Night
8. Tennessee Stud
9. Black Mountain Rag
10. St. James Infirmary
11. Love Me
12. Blue Suede Shoes
13. Sweet Georgia Brown
14. Lonesome Moan
15. The Clouds Gwine Roll Away
16. Three Times Seven
17. Peach Pickin’ Time In Georgia
18. Poor Boy Blues
19. Nancy Rowland/Salt Creek
20. Alberta
21. Movin’ On
22. Smoke! Smoke! Smoke!
23. Walk on Boy
24. Nothin’ To It
25. Blue Railroad Train
26. Brown’s Ferry Blues
27. Beaumont Rag

Chapter 3: May 3, 1974 (reels 033-037)

1. New River Train
2. Doggone My Time
3. Peach Pickin’ Time in Georgia
4. Poor Boy Blues
5. Nancy Rowland/Salt Creek
6. Alberta
7. Natural Born Gamblin’ Man
8. Doc’s Guitar
9. Matchbox Blues
10. Streamlined Cannonball
11. Summertime
12. Love Me
13. Blue Suede Shoes
14. Mama Don’t Allow No Music
15. Freight Train Boogie
16. Life Gets Teejus Don’t It
17. Miss the Mississippi & You
18. Wabash Cannonball
19. Leather Britches/Cotton-Eyed Joe
20. Bye Bye Bluebell
21. Tennessee Stud
22. South Coast
23. Sweet Georgia Brown
24. St. James Infirmary
25. Step It Up & Go
26. Jailhouse Rock

Chapter 4: May 4, 1974 (reels 041-046)

1. Introduction
2. Way Down Town
3. Billboard Song
4. Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)
5. Miss the Mississippi & You
6. Poor Boy Blues
7. Nancy Rowland/Old Joe Clark
8. Chicken Road
9. The Last Thing on My Mind
10. Solid Gone
11. South Coast
12. Going Down the Road Feelin’ Bad
13. Summertime
14. Love Me
15. Jailhouse Rock
16. Hound Dog
17. Brown’s Ferry Blues
18. Gambler’s Yodel
19. Peach Pickin’ Time in Georgia
20. Wabash Cannonball
21. Beaumont Rag
22. In the Jailhouse Now
23. Lovesick Blues
24. Black Mountain Rag
25. Tennessee Stud
26. St. James Infirmary
27. Sheik of Araby
28. Step It Up & Go
29. Mama Don’t Allow No Music

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Compiled by Jeffrey Greenblatt, Ryan Dembinsky, Andy Kahn and Scott Bernstein.