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 Roger Waters, North Mississippi Allstars, Dan Auerbach, Zach Gill, Dispatch and a reissued classic from U2. Read on for more insight into the records we have all queued up to spin.
Roger Waters – Is This The Life We Really Want?
The Scoop: Hard to believe, but it’s been almost a quarter century since Roger Waters released his last studio album. Fortunately, he’s back just as we needed him most and he finds himself right back in his lane with modern day political and societal observations set to his unique blend of tranquil psychedelia. Is This The Life We Really Want? feels like the first grand scale album since the U.S. election to tackle the new world order of populist governments, corporate greed, and Donald Trump in the White House. Musically, the album (said to be “a natural successor to classic Pink Floyd albums such as Animals and The Wall“) sounds nearly identical to earlier Waters material, but it has all the crucial elements that define Waters’ solo work (and late Pink Floyd albums) like the vocal dynamics going from whisper to scream, acoustic guitars backed by lush strings, towering guitar solos, and all sorts of audio Easter eggs that serve to support the message of his grand themes. This album by most accounts should be a home run for longtime Waters fans, but it’ll be interesting to see if it catches on with a broader audience. Watch the video for “The Last Refugee”:
Label: Columbia Records
Producer: Nigel Godrich
Number Of Tracks: 12
Running Time: 54:12
Guest Musicians: Nigel Godrich (arrangement, sound collages, keyboards, guitar), Gus Seyffert (bass, guitar, keyboards), Jonathan Wilson (guitar, keyboards), Joey Waronker (drums), Roger Mannning (keyboards), Lee Pardini (keyboards) and Lucius (vocals) with Jessica Wolfe and Holly Proctor.
Tracklist:
- When We Were Young
- Déjà Vu
- The Last Refugee
- Picture That
- Broken Bones
- Is This the Life We Really Want?
- Bird in a Gale
- The Most Beautiful Girl
- Smell the Roses
- Wait for Her
- Oceans Apart
- Part of Me Died
North Mississippi Allstars – Prayer For Peace
The Scoop: North Mississippi Allstars have been a model of consistency since first making a name for themselves with their Grammy-nominated 2000 release Shake Hands With Shorty. The Dickinson brothers – guitarist Luther and drummer Cody – who can almost be considered elder-statesmen of the new generation of bluesmen, return with their first proper NMAS record since 2013. The 12-track effort was recorded at six different studios, including Boo Mitchell at Memphis’ famed Royal Studios and their father Jim Dickinson’s Zebra Ranch in Hernando, Mississippi, and features a mix of originals and traditional folk and blues tunes. Give a listen to the album’s tile track:
Label: Sony Legacy
Producer: Cody Dickinson, Luther Dickinson. Boo Mitchell
Number Of Tracks: 12
Running Time: 42:36
Guest Musicians: Oteil Burbridge, Grahame Lesh, Sharisse Norman, Dominic Davis, Shardé Thomas
Tracklist:
- Prayer For Peace
- Need To Be Free
- Miss Maybelle
- Run Red Rooster
- Stealin’
- Deep Ellum
- Bird Without A Feather
- You Got To Move
- 61 Highway
- Long Haired Doney
- Bid You Goodnight
- P4P2017
Dan Auerbach – Waiting On A Song
The Scoop: While fans of The Black Keys patiently await their follow-up to 2014’s Turn Blue, lead singer Dan Auerbach has kept himself busy both producing records and putting out music on his own. In 2015, Auerbach released an album with his side-project The Arcs, and now has followed that up with his second proper solo album under his own name Waiting On A Song. The follow-up to 2009’s Keep It Hid finds Auerbach getting some high-profile help in the songwriting department, teaming up with legendary singer-songwriter John Prine for seven of the 10 tracks. The album, which is the perfect breezy, summer stoner-rock record also features guest appearances from likes of guitarists Duane Eddy and Mark Knopfler. Check out the music video for “King Of A One Horse Town”:
Label: Easy Eye Sound/Nonesuch Records
Producer: Dan Auerbach
Number Of Tracks: 10
Running Time: 32:38
Guest Musicians: John Prine, Duane Eddy, Mark Knopfler, Jerry Douglas, Pat McLaughlin, Bobby Wood, Gene Chrisman
Tracklist:
- Waiting On A Song
- Malibu Man
- Livin’ In Sin
- Shine On Me
- King Of A One Horse Town
- Never In My Wildest Dreams
- Cherrybomb
- Stand By My Girl
- Undertow
- Show Me
Zach Gill – Life In The Multiverse
The Scoop: Zach Gill today issues his first solo collection of original material since 2008. Gill may be best known to readers as a key member of ALO and Jack Johnson’s band, but he’s also an extremely talented songwriter. Life In The Multiverse features 13 deeply personal songs the multi-instrumentalist has spent years crafting. Standout songs include “Joy” which was inspired by a trip to the Outside Lands music festival and “Eliza Grace,” a tune about his youngest daughter. Watch the lyric video for “Joy”:
Label: Brushfire Records
Producer: Zach Gill
Number Of Tracks: 13
Running Time: 56:41
Tracklist:
- Window Display
- Solstice 2016
- Joy (Goodbye Guilty Pleasures)
- Alchemy
- The World is New (Ode to the Father of a Teenage Daughter)
- Chuck and The Nomads
- Eliza Grace
- Up From Down Below
- Little Speck
- Alright Soon…
- Ride This Sucker Out
- San Francisco
- Joy (Abbreviated) – Digital Album Only
Dispatch – America, Location 12
The Scoop: Boston folk-jam act Dispatch have today issued America, Location 12, the band’s first new studio album in five years. The members of Dispatch recorded the LP at an isolated studio in the hills of Stinson Beach, California. Chadwick Stokes, Pete Francis and Brad Corrigan enlisted John Dragonetti (The Submarines) and Mike Sawitzke (The Eels) to produce the 11-track effort. The pair of producers helped Dispatch hone in on the earthy yet groovy sound that first brought them to prominence in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s. Listen to “Skin The Rabbit” off the new LP:
Label: Bomber Records
Producer: John Dragonetti and Mike Sawitzke
Number Of Tracks: 11
Running Time: 48:31
Guest Musicians: N/A
Tracklist:
- Be Gone
- Only The Wild Ones
- Curse + Crush
- Painted Yellow Lines
- Skin The Rabbit
- Midnight Lorry
- Begin Again
- Rice Water
- Windylike
- Ghost Town
- Atticus Cobain
U2 – The Joshua Tree 30th Anniversary Edition
The Scoop: To mark the 30th anniversary of the release of The Joshua Tree, successful Irish rockers U2 have reissued their fifth studio as part of a massive box set. Originally released on March 9, 1987, the landmark 11-track record featured the hit singles “With Or Without You,” “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” and “Where The Streets Have No Name.” Included in the super deluxe edition of the reissue is a recording from the 1987 The Joshua Tree Tour at Madison Square Garden, B-sides and other rarities unearthed from original recording sessions and 2017 remixes from Daniel Lanois, St Francis Hotel, Jacknife Lee, Steve Lillywhite and Flood. View a trailer for The Joshua Tree 30th Anniversary Edition here:
Label: Interscope Records
Producer: Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois
Number Of Tracks: 49
Guest Musicians: N/A
Tracklists:
1. VINYL SUPER DELUXE BOXSET (with digital download card)
LP 1+2 – The Joshua Tree album
- Where The Streets Have No Name
- I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
- With Or Without You
- Bullet The Blue Sky
- Running To Stand Still
- Red Hill Mining Town
- In God’s Country
- Trip Through Your Wires
- One Tree Hill
- Exit
- Mothers Of The Disappeared
LP 3+4 – The Joshua Tree Live at Madison Square Garden 1987
- Where The Streets Have No Name
- I Will Follow
- Trip Through Your Wires
- I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
- MLK
- Bullet The Blue Sky
- Running To Stand Still
- In God’s Country
- Sunday Bloody Sunday
- Exit
- October
- New Year’s Day
- Pride (In The Name Of Love)
- With Or Without You
- Party Girl
- I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
- “40”
LP 5+6+7– The Joshua Tree Remixes / Outtakes / B-Sides
LP 5 – Remixes
- One Tree Hill 2017 Remix (St Francis Hotel)
- Bullet the Blue Sky 2017 Remix (Jacknife Lee)
- Running To Stand Still 2017 Remix (Daniel Lanois)
- Red Hill Mining Town 2017 Mix (Steve Lillywhite)
- With or Without You 2017 Remix (Daniel Lanois)
- Where The Streets Have No Name 2017 Remix (Flood)
LP 6 – Outtakes
- I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For (Lillywhite Alternative Mix ’87)
- One Tree Hill Reprise (Brian Eno 2017 Mix)
- Silver and Gold (Sun City)
- Beautiful Ghost/Introduction To Songs Of Experience
- Wave Of Sorrow (Birdland)
- Desert Of Our Love
- Rise Up
- Drunk Chicken/America
LP 7 – B–sides
- Luminous Times (Hold On To Love)
- Walk To The Water
- Spanish Eyes
- Deep In The Heart
- Silver And Gold
- Sweetest Thing
- Race Against Time
Book: Photographs by The Edge, a hardback collection of previously unpublished personal photographs from the original Mojave Desert sessions in 1986. Foreword by The Edge.
Plus: Folio of 8 Anton Corbijn Color Prints from 1986
2. CD SUPER DELUXE BOXSET (with digital download card)
CD1 – 2007 The Joshua Tree album
CD2 – The Joshua Tree Live at Madison Square Garden 1987
CD3 – The Joshua Tree 2017 Remixes
CD 4 – The Joshua Tree B-sides / Outtakes
Book: Photographs by The Edge – collection of never seen before personal photographs from the original Mojave Desert sessions in 1986 in a hardback book, with foreword written by The Edge.
Plus: Folio of 8 Anton Corbijn Color Prints from 1987
3. 2 CD DELUXE
CD 1 – The Joshua Tree album
CD 2 – The Joshua Tree Live at Madison Square Garden 1987
4. STANDARD VINYL
The Joshua Tree (double heavyweight vinyl)
5. STANDARD CD
The Joshua Tree
6. DIGITAL FORMATS
3 x digital products: Standard, Deluxe and Super Deluxe audio as outlined above.
Compiled by Jeffrey Greenblatt, Ryan Dembinsky, Andy Kahn and Scott Bernstein.
