Release Day Picks: June 28th 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 The Black Keys, The Allman Betts Band, Gov’t Mule and Daughter Of Swords. Read on for more insight into the records we have all queued up to spin.

The Black Keys – “Let’s Rock”

The Scoop: “The record is like a homage to electric guitar,” drummer Patrick Carney said of “Let’s Rock”, The Black Keys’ ninth studio album. “We took a simple approach and trimmed all the fat like we used to.” The follow-up to 2014’s Turn Blue was recorded at guitarist Dan Auerbach’s Eyey Eye Sound Studio in Nashville. The new release features 12 new songs that were written, produced and tracked live and produced by Auerbach and Carney. Additional backing vocals were provided by Ashley Wilcoxson and Leisa Hans. “When we’re together we are The Black Keys, that’s where that real magic is, and always has been since we were sixteen,” Auerbach stated.

The Allman Betts Band – Down To The River

The Scoop: The Allman Betts Band featuring Devon Allman and Duane Betts assembled at the famed Muscle Shoals Sound Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama to work on their debut studio album. The group tapped Matt Ross-Spang to produce what turned into Down To The River, a collection of nine original songs out today on BMG. Keyboardists Chuck Leavell and Peter Levin each make guest appearances on the LP. “It’s got Americana, some outlaw country influence, and some stone-cold rhythm-and-blues influence, and some elements of some of the great classic rock ‘n’ roll records we love,” Duane Betts told JamBase of Down To The River. “And the production — Matt Ross-Spang, he [did] what a producer does and just kind of let the musicians go, make them comfortable and kind of gave a little advice to try it a different way. It was really fun to work together, and the trust was a big thing, working with someone like that.”

Gov’t Mule – Bring On The Music – Live At The Capitol Theatre

The Scoop: On April 27 and 28, 2018 Gov’t Mule played a pair of concerts at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York that were captured for posterity on a new live album and concert film. The 2-CD standard edition of Bring On The Music – Live At The Capitol Theatre from Provogue/Mascot Label Group is now available with the deluxe edition, which contains the Danny Clinch-directed concert film, is due on July 19. “I wanted to include something from each studio record, something from each era of the band, and also pull out some songs that we haven’t played in a long time and ones that have not been on our previous live releases,” Haynes explained of the tracklist during a recent Q&A in New York City. “Funny Little Tragedy,” “Beautifully Broken,” “Mule,” “World Boss” and “Comeback” are among the 19 tracks that made the cut for the 2-CD standard edition.

Daughter Of Swords – Dawnbreaker

The Scoop:

Mountain Man’s Alexandra Sauser-Monnig‘s first solo album as Daughter Of Swords Dawnbreaker, is out today via Nonesuch Records. The 10 song album was co-produced by Sauser-Monnig with Nick Sanborn who forms Sylvan Esso with Mountain Man’s Amelia Meath. The record features contributions from Meath and the third member of Mountain Man, Molly Sarlé, as well as multi-instrumentalist Phil Cook and guitarist Ryan Gustafson. Sauser-Monnig began recording what became the songs making up Dawnbreaker in 2017, just prior to Mountain’s Man reformation and release of their 2018 longawaited sophomore album, Magic Ship. It was while working as farmhand on a flower farm between Mountain Man records that Sauser Monnig felt compelled to return to writing songs and recording music.

Compiled by Scott Bernstein and Andy Kahn.